A World Away
by ripitupgenki
Summary: Years after Mu's defeated the courageous seven have settled into their new lives. What happens when Genki hides a deep secret from the rest. How will the others react? How will they deal with his world and his problems when he finally tells them? Warning: Lots of drama and dark themes. Main pairing is GxH & TxGR; there will be some HxGR and GxGR as well.
1. World of Differences

_AAN: this popped into my head recently after immersing myself in MR fanfiction again. I hope you all like the concept, it might be a bit of a slow start as I do some world building. It'll get better I promise. _

_Speech in [ italics] is in Japanese, * italics * is internal thoughts. _

**A World Away**

World of Differences

As the sun shone down upon the land, many hard working monsters and humans could be seen working hard to bring the year's harvest in. Among them were the local heroes who had faced Mu. Holly had brought the community together in the time since she and her father settled in this small village. The peace and quiet was welcome after the harsh years of fighting and sorrow. Though their final member was missing from the fields he was still working hard in his own world. Genki had retained the ability to bounce between the two worlds by choice after the final show down with Mu's soul. He had consistently made a point of visiting them as often as he could. Though now he juggled this along with his job. Despite his visits becoming less frequent his friendship with the monsters and Holly had grown over the years. Holly put her last bushel in the cart near her and wiped her brow. She hadn't felt well most of the day but had continued to help with the harvest despite this. She assumed she was just exhausted, once they finished with the harvest she figured she could take it easy and recover. Tiger had made noted of her lack of energy and resolved to keep an eye on her. Holly walked off to get her canteen as Tiger hauled the load to the designated drop off zone. The young woman sighed thinking about all the labor ahead. Getting the harvest in was only half of the work. They also needed to thresh it to collect the grain and turn the residual into hay bales; while the former was taken to the local mill for grinding. Though the entire village helped with each harvest they wouldn't all be expected to finish it. Holly's mind briefly wandered to Genki, wondering how he was fairing. He had told them he had to work, over time as he called it, to finish a project his team was working on. She knew very little about what he actually did, he had at one point tried to explain it to them but they hadn't really understood. All she knew was it was mentally taxing rather than physically. * _I truly wonder about his education sometimes, he seems to know a lot more than us. He did say he had over 12 years of schooling... but what was he taught? _* Her thoughts were interrupted but Suezo hoping over to her, she smiled seeing him with Mocchi in tow.

"Holly, we finished with the north side... I see this area is also finished." She nodded,

"Yes, I believe nearly everyone is done."

"Good, my tail and tongue hurt from all this work." Holly chuckled hearing his whining but knew his body type wasn't very good for this type of work. It had taken nearly four days to complete the whole field and they had pushed themselves to make sure they got it in before the fall rains started. Holly really couldn't blame him for being tired. She glanced over to see her father heading towards them with Hare close behind. She smiled to him as he got close; he returned it affectionately then nodded to the monsters present.

"West side is done now. I see you finished up the south side just fine."

"Yes, it wasn't too bad. It looks like we got a good yield this year."

"Sure does, I bet we can get a good price for it at market." Hare piped up cheerfully.

"It's always about money with you isn't it Hare." Tiger had returned to hear him.

"Well the village has to make money to buy supplies Tiger, not all of us are thieves like you."

"What'd you call me!?" Tiger growled.

"You heard me."

"No fighting chi!" Mocchi broke them up.

"Tiger ignore him please." Holly spoke gently to him. He grunted then looked away from the rabbit monster.

"Only for you Holly." She smiled; Tiger had chosen her as his trainer a while ago. She found it interesting but was flattered he approved of her. She looked over at Golem, hearing his approach from a ways off. She smiled seeing he seemed only slightly tired from the whole affair.

"Well if he's here then that means the field is completely harvested." Hare stated,

"Finally I thought my tongue was going to fall off." The group laughed at Suezo's comment.

"I'll put some of that special salve we have on it later, Suezo."

"Thank you Holly."

"Golem… is finished with the east side."

"Well how about we get home and get some grub then?" Hare said rather happy to be finished as well. Holly saw them all nodded and laughed,

"Alright, let's go." Holly would make a quick meal tonight since she was very tired as well.

"Hey, does anyone know when Genki will pop back over?" Hare asked, the gang all seemed to draw a blank.

"I believe he said he had extra work this week... but our times don't always match up with his." Suezo commented as he tried to keep up with the group.

"Yeah... I wonder what the project is his team was working on?" Tiger grunted at Hare's inquiry,

"He already tried to explain his job once Hare, none of us understood him. It's doubtful we'd understand his project even if he tried to explain." everyone sweat dropped at that comment, it was true none of them had understood him at all when it came to his work.

"Why don't we ask him when he comes? I'm sure he'd be happy to try to explain it or at least tell us something we can talk with him about." Yosho added; Holly smiled to her father; he really had come a long way since they rescued him.

"I think that's a great idea. I'm sure he can explain some of his work at the very least."

* * *

Meanwhile in the real world...

Genki was working hard on his piece of the complex machine code he was writing. Though he had originally wanted to make video games he hadn't been able to break into that field as of yet. Instead he worked to program complex machines to perform tasks in the manufacturing and logistical sectors. Business was steady as machines always needed tweaks and new machines needed entirely new code written for them. His team currently was working on coding a complex sortation machine for the national postal service. His country was always innovating when it came to machines and robotics and this new AI system could really speed things up if it worked. His only concern was the machine physically keeping up with the code; the specs were really precise on this machine. He had broached the subject with his team in the morning meeting. All of them agreed that he was right with his concerns. Instead of programming it with only one speed they had decided on an automatic optimizer that would adjust the speed as needed. It also had the ability to be manually over ridden just in case the AI failed to notice an issue. These redundant systems made it more likely the machine would at least run even if it wasn't at the blazing speed the postal service wanted. They also added a bunch of safety code to prevent mail destruction and injury to operators as well. But all this extra code put a huge load on his team. They needed the code done by weeks end if they were to even hope of live testing it before they ran out of time. He glanced at the clock, it was way later than he expected already past 9 pm. Looking around he realized he was the only one who had remained behind. With a sigh he wrote down a few notes then saved his progress. Locking his work station he took his leave. * _Man, I really need to stop working so late... at this rate I'll pass out before the code is finished. _* He sweat dropped as he walked to his car; getting in he drove home hoping that at the end of the week the code would compile correctly the first time around.

By the time he got home it was almost 10pm, in contrast it was already morning in the monster world. He had set up a special communication device for his friends so they could talk even when he wasn't in their world. He had designed it so if he was home a blue light would shine to indicate he was there. This was more for their convenience than anything. He put a switch on their side for them to do the same so he could see when they were there. His automatically switched on as he walked in the door, as his was connected to his smart watch, though he had a manual override.

Walking in he put his wallet and keys on the table then went to get something to eat. He heard a disgruntled meow and looked down to find his cat, Raion, glaring at him. He chuckled, "Sorry I'm late bud, I'll get your food now." His kitty meowed at him again and followed him into the kitchen. Soon the food was in his bowl and he was much happier. Once he had his kitty settled he made himself some food. As he did so he began to wonder how the harvest was coming. He had indeed wanted to assist them but couldn't with the looming project he was working on. * _I'm sure they will fill me in soon. I just wish I could have helped; it'd be nice to do some physical labor for a change. It might even be relaxing for me. _* As he began to eat his ramen he noticed the blue light switch on his receiver. * _If they are there at this time they must have finished _* soon he found his observation to be correct as he heard Holly's voice through his receiver.

"Genki are you still awake?" Her voice was soft but he could still hear it. Tapping on his watch he not only made the device transfer the sound to his watch but turned on the microphone.

"Yeah I'm awake. I just got home like fifteen minutes ago."

"Isn't it really late for you?"

"It's after ten at night"

"Genki were you really working that long?"

"Yeah, I told you I had to work a lot more right now. We are close to being finished now. I'm just hoping we can finish by weeks end." He paused a moment, "what about you? The harvesting go well?"

"Yes, we finished with that today. There is still a lot of work to be done to separate the grain and mill it but we beat the fall rains at least." Genki smiled,

"I'm glad to hear it." Holly noticed him pause a moment, "How'd Suezo hold up? I know he was grumbling last time I heard from him about joining the harvest." Holly laughed at his tone knowing full well the eye ball had been very adamant about NOT helping only to have Holly force him to help anyway.

"Oh, he was still complaining the whole time but he did help. I had to put some salve on his tongue though, he was getting blisters." Genki momentarily cringed at that wondering how bad that would hurt. He then went back to eating his ramen. "He's better now though." Holly noticed he as eating something and got curious. "You're eating dinner at this time of night?"

"Yeah I only had a snack earlier at work."

"What are you eating?"

"Just some Ramen."

"Ramen?"

"It's a common dish in my country. It's… kind of a noodle soup. I can show you sometime it you like."

"I wasn't aware you could cook?"

"I probably would be in trouble if I couldn't by now." He chuckled, he heard her giggle on the other side. "Though I can make ramen and other dishes from scratch I cheated this time. I was too tired to cook something major so I used what's call instant ramen. You basically just add water and heat it up. It's not as good as the real thing but it's better than nothing." He went back to eating as he knew she was now pondering some things. He could almost visualize the look of confusion, disapproval, and concern he was now getting from her. He was well aware that "cheating" on meals was not something she ever really did.

"Genki it's hard for me to understand how anything can be instant…"

"It's referred to as that because it takes about 3 minutes to make while regular ramen takes 30 minutes or more. I'll show you how it works next time I come over. Not like I can't bring some with me, stuff lasts years as long as it remains unopened."

"Sounds like a great source of money to me." Hare pipped up, he had apparently been listening in the background. Genki rolled his eyes knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Always about money isn't it Hare?"

"It makes the world go round Tiger!" As true as that was, Genki understood Tigers annoyance with the rabbit monster.

"Hare, I honestly don't know how much money these packets actually make people. I do know that a lot of poorer people use them to get by especially since they are one the cheapest meals you can buy. And yes they are cheaper than buying the ingredients to make real ramen, by a large margin. So honestly they probably save people a lot of money."

"Wait, are you saying you need them Genki?"

"When did I say that? I use them for convenience; not because I can't afford food Hare." He rolled his eyes.

"How much savings are we talking?" Hare further probed, making Genki groan, the last thing he wanted was to use his brain right now.

"I don't know how the money would… convert Hare but I can give examples in my own currency."

"That'll work."

"Well most ramen packets and bowls range from 80 yen to 350 yen. In comparison if you bought all the ingredients to make homemade ramen it'd cost around 3,204 yen. Admittedly the ramen packets are single serving while the recipe I have can do 4 servings, each serving coming to 801 yen." Genki finished his meal drinking the broth then putting the bowl in the sink.

"Why is everything so expensive?" Tiger asked, astonished at the price difference.

"Two things are at play, mass production lowers the cost on the packets. They are recouping their money by volume sold not by how much it sells for. Inflation is the other issue. A lot of fresh ingredients have to be imported from other regions of the world. I know my country imports a ton of rice every year from the US and other regions of the world." He paused a moment, "The US is a very large country in this world that actually exports over 90 percent of all the rice they grow. They apparently don't use very much rice. Actually they export a lot of foods they don't use." He really didn't want the get into economics, trade agreements, and other political and social things with his world. He knew they wouldn't really understand.

"Genki Chi?"

"Yes Mocchi?"

"When you come over can you bring a map of your world chi?" He raised a brow at that, they had never shown interest in such things before.

"I don't see why not. If you're interested in that, I can certainly bring a map and perhaps a few books if you want something to read?"

"Mocchi would like to read about Genki's world." He chuckled,

"Very well, I'll do that." Genki jotted down some notes on stuff to bring next time he visited. He knew he would be too tired to remember this conversation in the morning.

"When you come back over again chi?"

"Probably in roughly two days Mocchi. We are almost done with our project; I'm hoping it works correctly the first time."

"Wait, you haven't tested it?"

"No Hare, we are still building it. Our live test is next week. If all goes well it should only need minor tweaks."

"Ah, that's why you were working so much huh?"

"We needed it done this week so we have a week left to fix anything that might go wrong. At this point it's looking good though. So I'll plan on dropping over after I get my driver's license renewed." Genki rolled his eyes again; he hated having his picture taken.

"Driver's license chi?"

"You remember that card Hanger wanted at the ancient city?"

"Yeah"

"It's kind of like that only this allows me to operate a vehicle. The government keeps tabs on all its citizens through cards like that. And it's a requirement for all citizens to have one. Mine's going to expire soon, each card lasts about four years before you are forced to go back in to update it. And yes Hare they do charge a fee to update it, government also loves its taxes and fees… for like everything." His voice held some annoyance at this but he was used to it even if it annoyed him.

"Why are they so controlling?" Tiger asked at length.

"Well they do have millions of citizens to keep track of Tiger. I believe they prefer to head off problems before they can happen even if it's not always in the best interest of their citizens."

"Hey, you said they charge taxes and fees. How much do they charge you?" Hare asked suddenly, Making Genki sigh internally and rub his temples. * _note to self, do not mention governmental things around them unless I want a long conversation. _*

"Well Hare I lose about 28 percent of my wages to taxes plus what I lose in property tax and other fees... so maybe 33 percent or more a year adding all those together." He heard stunned silence on the other side, rolling his eyes he decided to break the silence. "My country has what's called a progressive tax. Basically the more you make the more you pay in taxes. Each tax bracket covers a range of wages, I fall into the 10,000,000 yen to 15,000,000 yen annually category." He knew they weren't likely to even understand why so many taxes were taken and he didn't feel up to that discussion tonight.

"Genki, you still have enough money left to take care of yourself right?" Holly seemed worried about his well being now.

"Yeah I have plenty Holly, don't worry about it. I generally have extra money each month that I don't spend. I know it seems like a lot to lose in taxes but you get used to it and plan around it."

"So do you pay them each month then?" Hare asked, seemingly confused.

"Most taxes are taken out of my wages before I receive them. Basically my employer does it for me. So each paycheck has an amount missing for taxes. At the end of the year I file my taxes with the government. If I over paid, I get that money back. If I didn't pay enough somehow or say I receive money from elsewhere I'll have to pay the difference owed. A lot of families do get money back at the end of the year. They file a deduction which covers anything from marriage to medical expenses. Depends on the government and what deductions are active during a current year. Last year they added a deduction for those replacing old equipment with new more efficient equipment."

"Your world is strange." Tiger said at length, "Taxes like that wouldn't fly around here."

"Yes well the taxes are spent on a lot of things people want, so that's why they get paid. Schools, maintenance of the roads, some poverty relief funds, among other things are all supported with tax dollars."

"Wait… schools are supported with that?"

"Yes, a lot of schools are free. And the government does require children to attend school until a certain age though they are encouraged to finish all 12 grades."

"Wow, did you finish Genki chi?"

"Yes, Mocchi I did, I actually have 16 years of schooling not 12. I finished the requirement then moved to college to do my occupational schooling for my job; which yes, took me 4 years to learn." He wasn't even going to talk about require classes.

"Genki really smart chi!" Genki chuckled at Mocchi's enthusiasm.

"I don't know about that Mocchi but I know what I need to." He glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly 11:30pm. He then sighed, "Well I have to get some sleep guys it's almost midnight here. I will talk with you more later."

"Get some rest Kid, We'll see you soon." Tiger spoke gruffly; he knew Genki was tired he could sense it in how the young man reacted to their questions,

"Thanks Tiger, I hope you all have a good day."

"We will Genki." Holly spoke, clearly sympathizing with the him. Genki close the app on his watch and walked off to get ready for bed, turning off his light as he went. * _Hopefully next time less politics come up. I really hate explaining that stuff to them… _* Sleep took him quickly, once he lay down, Raion joining him soon after.

* * *

The next two days flew by for Genki, he was ecstatic when the program complied correctly, admittedly it wasn't on the first run but still the issues were resolved quickly. He chatted a few minutes each night with the gang but never very long. The night before he was to arrive in their world again he told them approximately when he'd be over. He got his license taken care of and headed home. He wouldn't cross over till later in the night so he planned to nap in the evening till he was supposed to cross over. Riaon had other ideas and he ended up playing with his kitty before his nap. He had picked up a few history books and a world map for his friends. He didn't actually own any but he bought them specifically for them. When night came he saw the light come on indicating they were there.

"Genki, you there Kid?" Tiger asked checking to be sure he was home.

"Yep, you ready to meet me at the shrine?"

"Yep, I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Alright Tiger." Genki looked at his watch and would wait the 10 minutes till he tried to jump across. In the meantime he made sure to lock things up, put his phone by the receiver just in case an emergency came up. His watch would receive the message even in the other world as long as he was near their receiver. At the allotted time Genki booted up his PS2 with the proper game and made the jump across.

He landed on his feet despite how disorienting the transition was, it had taken weeks to figure out how to do so but he had managed it nonetheless. He smiled seeing Tiger waiting by the pedestal for him.

"Hey Tiger."

"Hey Kid, it's good to see you again. Think you can keep up or should I carry you?" Genki chuckled, pulling out his skates, he put them on.

"I'll try to keep up." Tiger smirked at him, Genki grinned in return. Soon the pair were off, the shrine was about a quarter of a mile from the village. Genki managed to keep up with Tiger despite the terrain not being ideal for skates.

* * *

When they arrived he noticed the gang outside waiting. They all seemed to be relaxing under the tree by Holly's house. Holly smiled to him as he approached, noticing he was carrying a bag with him. Mocchi ran out to greet him making her giggle at his enthusiasm. Genki just about fell over with the force of Mocchi's tackling hug.

"Genki! I missed you chi!" once he was stable he answered,

"I missed you too Mocchi." he gave his longtime friend a hug, once Mocchi had calmed down Genki walked over to where the rest of the group was. "Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright Genki, we know you have to work." Hare said still smiling at the scene he had just witnessed. Genki decided to change back into his shoes before anymore mishaps happened. He then took a seat with everyone else.

"So I trust everything has been going well for you guys?"

"Yep, We just got the grain separated and sent to the mill." Hare proclaimed,

"Like you helped Hare." Tiger spoke gruffly,

"I didn't see you helping either Tiger." Genki sighed and shook his head, He noticed Holly roll her eyes at the fighting pair. Yosho came up as the two growled at each other making him raise a brow.

"Anyway, at least you'll be done soon."

"Yes, the village needs supplies; so the faster we finish the better." Holly seemed worried about things.

"I'm sure; it seemed to be a rough year for you all." Genki nodded his understanding.

"Genki, are the farmers harvesting in your world too chi?" Genki smiled and nodded,

"They are yes, but not the same crops you had. My country can only grow a limited range for crops and some of the varieties we grow actually get harvested at different times of the year."

"Which one's are they harvesting now chi?" Mocchi seemed entirely intent now, he noticed Holly was also curious. Tiger and Hare had both stopped fighting to hear this information as well.

"Well the main thing being harvested is rice. But I believe the barley, soy beans, and sweet potatoes are also being harvested right now. There are few other fruits and vegetables as well but they aren't as prevalent."

"Wait didn't you say you import rice?" Hare asked now confused,

"Yes, we do. But we can only grow two types of rice and since our country is mostly rocky we can't produce the amount we need. To counter this we export things that only grow in our country, admittedly this only offsets things a bit but it's still better than nothing." He shrugged, "We imported something like ten thousand tons of rice last year."

"Why so much rice though?" Tiger asked,

"Well, in our culture think of rice like bread. We use rice in place of bread or pasta usually. One reason is because we can't grow wheat very well. And what we can grow isn't the wheat used for most breads, it's the softer grain used in pastries."

"So you replace noodles and bread with rice where possible?" Holly asked, confirming what he said.

"Yes, and the noodles we do produce, are mostly made of rice flour." He saw her nod in understanding.

"Can we try some food from you're world chi?"

"Sure Mocchi, I have been meaning to ask you all if you wanted to visit anyway. The portal seems to work both ways anyway." He smiled, "But so you can see why my country has issues growing things, I did bring that map you asked for." Mocchi's face seemed to light up now making him chuckle. He dug around in his bag and pulled it out. After a minute he had it unfolded, they all gathered around to see it.

"So where is your country chi."

"It's right here Mocchi." He pointed to Japan on the map and noticed Tiger tilt his head.

"You're country is a lot smaller than I thought Kid."

"Believe it or not there are about 128 Million people in my country Tiger." Hare and Tiger's eyes bulged at that number; both screaming,

"WHAT?!" before looking at each other and glowering. Genki chuckled,

"Our island is about 146 thousand square miles in size. It is hard to tell on the map though."

"Still, I'm surprised you all don't kill each other. You have to be living practically on top of each other..." Tiger trailed off.

"Actually our murder rates are pretty low, so are crime rates for that matter." he shrugged, "honestly our culture is different and we have little problem coexisting with each other." He moved his hand to point to the US on the map. "This is the United States of America, it's made up of 50 states in total and they are the one we import most of our food from."

"What's their population?" Tiger probed curiously.

"If is recall correctly, somewhere around 327 million. Some of their states have less than a million people."

"But they have so much space..."

"True but not all of it is usable. Several states..", he pointed to the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and then Alaska. "are extremely cold and have a lot of barren land. Others, like these..." he pointed to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. "all have vast deserts in them. So not every state can use all of its land. Granted, some have specialized in certain fruits like California grows grapes in its northern areas, citrus fruit in its southern coastal areas, and arid plants in it's more dessert like regions." He noticed they were all in shock and wonder at the same time. "Unfortunately my country can't do that since most of our land is rocky and our climate isn't varied enough for that. The only sub tropical fruit we can grow are grown here." He pointed to Okinawa "but it's a limited variety that we can grow."

"what were the other fruits and veggies you mentioned were being harvested this time of year?" Hare asked, now intrigued.

"Let's see, for vegetables we have Satoimo, called Taro root for most countries, Kabocha or winter squash, Shiitake and Matsutake mushrooms; for fruit we have Sudachi which is a citrus fruit and Kuri which is a type of chestnut."

"Taro root?"

"It's actually a very nutritious root that's used in a lot of stews and soups. Some people dislike it's texture though as it tends to get slimy when cooked."

"What about the winter squash?"

"Its actually related to a pumpkin but it stays green. They don't get as large either. They can be used about the same way a pumpkin would be."

"So you guys do have wheat right?"

"Yes Hare but that's a summer crop, it's always harvested in the summer. Barley is harvested in the fall but we don't grow that much of it in comparison. Soy beans are the other big item we harvest in the fall." He saw Hare nod. "Here, if you want to read up on world cultures I have a couple of books I brought." He pulled out a world cultures and a history book. And handed one to Hare and the other to Mocchi. "I marked the pages that are about my country but this covers more than just mine."

"Thank you chi!" Mocchi exclaimed.

"Genki, this looks new..."

"It is Hare. I don't have any of those books in my house specifically so I bought them for you guys." Hare seemed to calculate something a moment.

"Are you sure you don't want anything in return?"

"Hare, you guys are like family to me. It's not a problem really."

"As long as you are sure."

"I am, besides it's not like you haven't given things to me in the past." Hare nodded his understanding.

* * *

Yosho who had just been watching so far decided to ask a question,

"Genki, would you mind telling us about the project you've been working on?" Genki glanced over at Holly's father, though he doubted they'd understand he nodded nonetheless.

"I'll try." He glanced around noticing they were all listening now. "My team and I have been programming a machine to sort mail for the postal service."

"Programming chi?"

"Programming is basically a set of code that gives the machine instructions on how to do it's job."

"Oh ok, chi."

"So you know the code the machine speaks?" Tiger asked tilting his head,

"Yes, we actually just finished the code this week. Next week we are testing it with the machine to make sure the machine can interpret the instructions we gave it correctly."

"That's what you meant by live test?" Hare spoke in recognition.

"Yes, right now the code is in what we call "the theory of operation" phase. Until we prove that it works it's just that, a theory. If it fails we'll have to figure out why, which part it's not interpreting correctly and re-code it to get it working the correct way. We know what it should do but getting a machine to do that sometimes is a bit of a pain."

"You said it's supposed to sort mail?" Hare asked for clarification now.

"Yes that's it's job."

"How? I mean it can't read can it?" Genki chuckled.

"Actually it can read. It has 3 different systems for reading and if for some reason it can't read a particular letter it has a reject bin where it sticks those. For the most part it should be fine sorting on it's own. The machine we are coding for is actually an upgrade to an already existing machine. My team and I were able to not only watch the existing ones work but also see their code, how they are maintained and repaired. Their current machines are supposed to be able to sort 40,000 letters per hour but they haven't been able to do that because they have a design flaw. This new machine with hopefully fix that and be able to max out at 43,000 per hour once it's working." Everyone seemed stunned for a moment. He sighed, * _I knew this would happen... again..._ *

"How? I mean those numbers are... fantastical!" Suezo blurted out. Genki chuckled,

"Oh it's possible Suezo. Let's see..." Genki thought a moment then grabbed stick, drawing a rough outline of the machine. "The machine uses a series of belts and pulleys to move the mail through it. Along the way it passes through what are called light barriers, these act like eyes for the machine allowing it to keep track of the mail it's sorting. It knows how many seconds it should take between each light barrier. It can actually keep track of hundreds of mail pieces at once. It passes in front of the camera that reads the address then the machine determines where to send the mail piece. It only takes it a few seconds to figure that out; once it does it directs it to the correct level and pocket of the machine with a series of gates." He noticed they all seemed confused. "I'll tell you what, when we run our live test I'll make sure we record it so I can show you how the machine works. How's that sound?" *_ It's far easier than trying to explain this all day. Besides we have to record it for the client so they can see it working. _*

"So you can show us with this recording?" Hare clarified,

"Yes, you'll be able to see it working. I can even slow down the recording so you can see it better."

"Sounds like a plan then. I'm sure it'll be far easier then trying to explain it."

"Should be, and you'll get to see it's 3 reading systems as each has a separate test." He glanced around seeing them all curious. "Anyway, how has everything been around here?"

"Nothing new really Kid, now that the harvest is done everything will go back to normal."

"Although" Hare interjected earning Tiger's ire, "There is a harvest celebration planned for the end of the week. If want to come to that."

"Is that OK? I mean I didn't help with..."

"Oh it's fine. You worry too much Genki." Genki still had his doubts despite Hare's dismissal. He glanced at Holly asking the question silently. She smiled and nodded in response. He then turned his attention back to Hare and nodded.

"All right, I'd love to come." he smiled to the group

"Excellent, it's 7 days from now. Starts at 6 pm." Genki did some mental math a moment to figure out the timing. It'd be really early morning for him but it fell on a Saturday so he figured he could manage it.

"Well I'll have to hit the coffee but I think I can manage to be awake." he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I always forget about the time difference with you. I guess that'd be really early for you huh?"

"I'd be able 4 in the morning Hare."

"Wow, that is rather early..."

"I'll be fine Hare, don't worry about it. Just will need some coffee is all." He noticed Holly seemed concerned about the timing as well and decided to put that concern to bed, "Besides it's my weekend, I shouldn't have any issues catching up on sleep later."

"If you're sure Genki." Holly still seemed worried but was willing to let it go.

"I am. Besides I don't want to miss out on having some fun with you all." He grinned to her making her smile. "Is there anything I need to bring?"

"You mean food wise, Kid?" Tiger tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah." Tiger glanced to Holly whom was in deep thought.

"Genki I don't know what you can make but if you can make a desert I'm sure everyone would appreciate it." Holly glanced to him now unsure how much he could cook.

"I can do that. Do you think the villagers would be interested in a more exotic dish from my culture? Or should I just stick to something they would know?

"I think they would be interested, they know you're from another world." Genki grinned and nodded.

"Holly let me know if you need any ingredients you can't get here. I'm sure I can drop across to deliver those. I know this year has been rough with all the blights." Holly seemed surprised at his offer but then smiled.

"Genki if you could bring me some apples for a pie? That's really the only thing I'm missing."

"You got it!" He saw her smile and he could see relief in her features.

"Hey Genki!"

"Yes Hare?" He raised a brow at Hare's devious smile.

"If I gave you a few gold could you get some wine for me?" Genki gave him a suspicious look now.

"I could yes, though I'll need to know what type you'd like."

"Type?" Hare seemed confused now, Genki smiled and snorted.

"Seriously Hare, what flavor and by type I mean do you want a dry, semi-sweet, or sweet wine."

"Oh, right oh course..." he seemed to be thinking now making Genki roll his eyes. "Well I guess a sweet wine, are there seasonal flavors right now?"

"Yes, if I recall Peach, Cranberry, Apple, Blueberry, Acai, Goji, and Pomegranate are all available." Hare blinked at that list,

"What's Acai, Goji, and Pomegranate?"

"Acai is similar to a elderberry though it is larger." Genki paused a moment. "Goji is kinda like a cranberry I guess though they taste like cross between a cranberry and cherry; they are a sweet and tart flavor. Pomegranate isn't like anything else really but I can say it's got a strong tart flavor with a bitter aftertaste." It took Hare a few more minutes to decide.

"Let's try Acai then, it sounds interesting and I like elderberry."

"Alright, I'll get that for you." Genki was still unsure of what Hare was up to but had no reason to say no at the moment.

"Anyway, if you guys think of something else let me know." He saw them all nod, "Holly have you guys had dinner yet?" He glanced her way, She raised a brow at him but then shook her head.

"No, not yet though I will probably have to get some going soon." He grinned again then fished around in his bag and pulled at three bowls all covered in shiny paper.

"If you don't mind I wanted to show you guys how the instant ramen works. I brought three different types with me." He looked at her now waiting for her answer. She gave him a dubious look but then nodded.

"Will you need anything?"

"Just hot water."

"So what are these types Genki?" Hare seemed very interested.

"This one, is basically the cheapest brand you can get. It's chicken flavor. This one is mid grade and it's Miso flavored."

"Miso?"

"It's kind of like a mushroom."

"I've had mushroom soup chi!" Genki chuckled.

"The last one is an expensive version, it's Pot Au Fea flavor which is a spicy beef stew." Holly by now had some hot water going. She didn't miss the flavor explanations though. Genki smiled to her as she moved to sit by him, she looked over each container reading what she could of them.

"Genki how spicy is this one?"

"When I first tried it it caught me off guard, thought I might breath fire. It's very spicy but if you can get past the spice it tastes excellent." He chuckled.

"I will try it but only after I do the others. I don't use hot spices much you know that."

"I do but I did come prepared." He reached into his bag and handed her a can. "knowing you don't like spicy food I brought that for you. It should put the fire out if it becomes too much." She eyed the can now she had no idea what it even was.

"Mixed fruit Au Lait?"

"It's a common mixed drink. Au Lait is french for with milk. So it's kinda like a fruit smoothie. It should counter the spiciness for you though." He saw her nod now as she accepted his gift. Holly rose a moment later to retrieve the hot water. While she did Genki pulled back each lid half way. On the mid grade and high end ramen the opened some packets and added them to the dry noodles. Holly watched him do this as she made her way back. After he had things set he took the tea pot from her and added water to the appropriate mark. He then closed the lid on all three bowls and weighted the lid down with a stick. "I'll take a couple of minutes for the noodles to come back."

"How do you know how much water to add?"

"There's a line on the inside of the bowl."

"So these can keep a long time right?"

"As long as the don't get wet yes Hare."

"Hare what are you thinking?" Suezo asked now suspicious of the rabbit monster.

"I was just wondering if it would be prudent to have Genki bring us some of these bowls just in case the winter gets harsh. It would defiantly help the village."

"For once you have a good point Hare. That might be wise." Tiger grudgingly agreed.

"I can certainly do it if that's what you want. I'd need to know the numbers you want Hare so I can plan for it." Genki was surprised by his worry, *_ has this year been even worse then they have been letting on? _* He glanced over at Holly to see her looking a bit stressed, without thinking he reached over and rubbed her shoulder. Holly jumped slightly at the contact but then smiled to him.

"We will have to get a list together if we go that route." She said at length. Genki matched her gaze then nodded. Going back the ramen he took a pair of chopsticks from his bag then stirred each one before recovering them.

"What are those?" Suezo eyed him

"Chop sticks, they are pretty common in my culture."

"So you eat with them?"

"Yep, they are very effective with things like noodles."

"Sticks?" He started laughing hysterically.

"Considering you can't even use utensils I'm not sure WHY you are laughing of all people." He raised a brow at the now sputtering eye stalk. He then went back to tending the ramen, finding each to be ready, he removed he lid entirely from each. "looks like they are done." He handed the first on to Holly to try, he had already decided she would get first dibs.

"How do I use these Genki?" Genki picked up the chopsticks then showed her how to hold them. She took them and imitated what she saw, he then corrected her slightly then had her try to use them. He smiled seeing her pick up on the technique quickly. Holly tried the first one trying not to make a mess while she did so. The texture was different then she imagined but the flavor was good. After a couple of bites she passed the bowl to Hare. Genki had a gotten out a second pair of chopsticks by now and was teaching Hare to use them.

"What'd you think?" Genki asked as Hare awkwardly tried to eat some of the chicken flavored ramen.

"It's good, a little different texture wise then I would have thought but it has good flavor." He smiled, He then picked of the Miso one and handed it to her.

"Miso can be hit or miss with people, it's one of those you either like it or you don't flavors." She nodded to him then went about trying it.

"Genki this is really good. You said this was the cheapest one right?" Hare asked after having tried some. Now each of the other monsters was giving it a try. Tiger had gotten a bowl so he could try it with out contaminating the whole thing. Mocchi was currently putting some in his bowl.

"Yes Hare it is. That one's about 80 yen per bowl." He glanced back at Holly who had a strange expression. He chuckled at this, "Not a fan of Miso?" She shook her head,

"It's not that, it's just an odd flavor yet it seems similar to something else I've had before. Not sure what though." She passed that one to Hare who eyed it a moment. Genki then picked up the last one and handed it to Holly. She had taken a drink of her tea to clear her pallet each time. She seemed weary of this one but decided to give it a try anyway.

"Keep in mind this one you'll have to get passed the spice. You should notice it's flavor after the second bite." She nodded to him before taking her first bite. Holly had to admit this one was really spicy. Genki glanced over to see Hare making faces at the Miso prompting him to laugh. Holly giggled at the rabbit monster as she let the spicy settle a moment before taking another bite. "Well I see you're not a fan huh Hare?"

"Ugh... that was horrible. I forgot how much I hate mushrooms." This made Genki laugh all the more. He glanced back at Holly who seemed to be recovering from her spicy meal. She handed off the last one to Hare as she reached for the can of Mix Au Lait.

"What you think Holly?" She downed a good portion of the can to put out the fire.

"Other than the spice being too much for me it had really good flavor. That ones noodles are much softer as well."

"Not bad for some instant food huh?"

"No, I'm actually surprised it tastes that good. Though I would still like to try homemade ramen sometime." She looked directly at him, He smiled to her.

"I would be happy to make some for you. Maybe you can come over on one of the weekends and I can show you how to make it?"

"I would like that very much." She beamed a smile to him making him return it with a grin.

"Haw..." Hare looked like he was about to breath fire as he ran in the house for some water leaving a very confused Mocchi behind. Genki began laughing at his reaction.

"Goodness Hare I thought you like hot stuff."

"He's such a pussy some times..." Tiger grumbled as he tried his.

"Tiger!" Holly snapped at him making him look at her in surprise.

"What? He is!" She sighed exasperated by his language. It was the one thing she hadn't broke him of even after all these years. Genki chuckled at the scene before him, he knew she would never get Tiger to change his language it was too ingrained for that to happen. She raised a brow at Genki making him grin in return.

"Regardless of Hare, what do you all think of the ramen?" Tiger gulped his down,

"I say they are all good, though I can see most of the villagers not caring for the spicy one." He said gruffly. Holly nodded,

"I think they are good Genki, they were much better then I was expecting for something that was dehydrated." Holly smiled to him, "though the miso would definitely put some people off, even more so than the spice I think."

"Mocchi like them all chi!"

"I'm good with them all." Suezo stated, he had surprisingly had no issue with the heat. Genki then looked to Holly's father who had been quiet the whole time.

"Genki these are very good, I'm still surprised at how there were vegetables and meat in the one despite it being dehydrated. I think these would be very good emergency food." Genki smiled then nodded to the older man. He could see something in his eyes that told Genki they had indeed had a harder year then they had originally told him.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it, I would be happy to pick some up for emergencies for you all if you want that." Holly looked at him a moment, her gaze challenging him. She then sighed in defeat knowing he had figured it out. They hadn't wanted him to worry so they hadn't said anything.

"I think that would be wise. We'll figure out how many we think we'll need." She saw him smile and nod.

* * *

Hare finally re-emerged from the house after drinking a bucket of water to put out the fire in his mouth.

"Genki you said before you didn't know how the currency would convert right?" Genki raised a brow then shook his head,

"I don't, no. I'd have to run some numbers to know what it would be. Plus I would need to know the approximate weight and karat of 1 gold piece to know the conversion."

"Karat chi?"

"Karats are the purity of the gold." Mocchi seemed curious now, "For example I have an 18 karat gold ring I wear." he showed his right hand, "18 karat is tough enough for something like a ring but you couldn't use say 24 karat or it would bend easily. 24 and above is reserved for pendants usually." Mocchi was looking at his ring and noticed marks on it.

"Ring is beat up chi." Genki chuckled,

"I do hit my hand on stuff a lot and I often forget I'm wearing it."

"Where'd you get it? And what stone is that?"

"My mom got it for me, the stone is alexanderite."

"Expensive?"

"I don't know the cost it was a gift after all. But alexanderite is considered a semi-precious stone."

"Sounds expensive, any special reason for it?"

"Just a Christmas gift is all. She never knows what to get me so she just does something random every year. It's certainly interesting to say the least." He chuckled thinking of all the weird stuff he's gotten over the years.

"Wait... Christmas... isn't that the thing that's like our midwinter festival?"

"Correct Hare it is."

"Why doesn't she just make something?" Tiger asked, eyeing Hare as he seemed to be plotting things.

"Oh she has in the past... it's more of she likes to get really nice things for family so she tends to buy stuff instead. She may be good at baking but not much else honestly, and she is very much aware of that." He sweat dropped a bit, "she also knows when the rest of us are lying to be nice, so she knows when we don't like something." He knew why his father called her the living lie detector after he grew up.

"So she only bakes?" Suezo asked confused,

"Yeah, for the most part. There are a few other things she can cook though. If you're wondering part of that is due to both my parents working. It's pretty common for both to work in our culture. So she' is busy with work as well. And I hardly see my dad, he's on the road a lot." Genki shrugged, it really didn't bother him though he knew it would be strange for them.

"What do she do chi?"

"She's a teacher Mocchi. She used to teach 6th grade but she moved schools and is now teaching 11th grade."

"Grade chi?" Genki thought a moment,

"You're grade is usually determined by 2 things Mocchi, your age and knowledge. Most 6th graders are around 11 or 12 years old, most 11th graders are 16 to 17 years old." he saw Mocchi nod. Looking around he saw the others seemed astonished what he'd just told them. * _they really don't do much schooling past the preteen years I guess _* "Anyway I'll have to bring over a scale or something to get the weight. Probably have to talk to a friend of mine and see about how to test gold for purity to get the karat value."

"There's a test for that?" Hare asked,

"Yes, but I don't know the specifics."

"And you're sure your friend does?"

"She should. She owns a jewelry shop. I know she has a tester of some sort in her store. Not sure how it works specifically though." He shrugged, he then noticed Hare's devious look.

"So... is this friend..."

"Knock it off. She's just a friend Hare, we've known each other since we were kids. My mom and her mom were friends and we often stayed at each other's house when we were young as they traded off babysitting duties." Hare's ears drooped as Genki out foxed him. Tiger chuckled,

"So does she make jewelry or just sells it?"

"She makes her own Tiger. Though her shop doesn't just sell jewelry. They also sell blades, mostly small knifes."

"She's a blacksmith?" Tiger asked amazed,

"Yeah, so is her partner. They specialize in Damascus steel. Very beautiful but time consuming."

"Her partner a guy?"

"Nope, another woman. I don't know much about her though." He shrugged.

"What's Damascus steel chi?"

"Damascus is a process of combining different types of steel together. Each type usually has a different hardness level to it. Once the blade is finished they dip it in acid to etch the metal. The each steel with turn a different color making pattern in the blades finish. They can be a specific pattern or a random pattern depending on how they put the steel together. Damascus has a high layer count though, need a minimum of 30 layers of steel to get a good pattern. Hence why it so time consuming."

"Sounds expensive" Hare whistled,

"It can be, though most of what she sells is very reasonable. I actually have one of her blades myself."

"What kind of blade Kid?"

"Just a small knife. It's about 3 inches. Could be used as a paring knife for cooking, it's about the right size."

"Can we see it chi?"

"Sure I'll bring it next time Mocchi."

"Yay!" Mocchi beamed making Genki chuckled. He was still surprised at how child like Mocchi was even after all these years. He hadn't failed to notice Holly's unique expression at the mention of his female friend and what her occupation was. * _I see she still doesn't understand that there is no gender limit on jobs in my world. I'll have to explain that when she comes over. _*

* * *

A sudden sound from his smart watch startled the group, though Genki hadn't been sure if his phone being near the receiver would work or not he was used to unexpected calls and messages. He touch the screen to look at the message he had received.

"What is that?" Suezo asked, they did have watches but none that made noise.

"It's my smart watch, it connects to my phone. Looks like my phone received a message, it was alerting me to that." He read the message as he spoke, * _you've got to be kidding me. _* By his expression they could tell whatever it was wasn't good.

"Kid?" Tiger probed,

"I looks like our team leader is having an issue. I'll probably have to call him, his message isn't very clear."

"Call him how chi?" Mocchi seemed extremely confused.

"My phone is a communication device, It doesn't just do messages; it can also do live calls." He saw Mocchi look satisfied with that answer.

"Do you need to call right now?" Tiger asked curiously,

"I probably should though I'm not sure if I can. I'd need a good connection to my phone to do a call. Though I guess I could try it. I'll need to be next to your receiver though."

"Go do your call, we can wait till you finish." Hare stated, he seemed concerned. Genki nodded the rose and walked into the house with Holly who was putting the kettle away. The others followed them in bringing the books and map inside along with the other things. While Holly set about making dinner Genki walked to the receiver and started his call.

* * *

He could hear the ringing sound that was normal, it was a little crackly but not too bad. * _honestly I didn't think it'd work at all from this world._ * After a few moments Genki heard his coworker pick up.

"[_Hello?_]"

"[_Hi Siato, what's going on? Your message was a little unclear._]"

"[_Sorry bout that, basically I won't be into work for awhile. I got into an accident, I'm actually in the hospital right now._]" Genki's expression changed at this, * _if our team leader is out then... _*

"[_Are you going to be alright?_]"

"[_After a few surgeries and a few months yeah._]" The monsters and Holly were looking very confused off to the side, none of them knew what was being said as they didn't speak the language. The fact that Genki was fluent in it confused them all the more. None of them had realized he knew another language.

"[_I take it you broke something?_]"

"[_Oh only my pelvis and leg._]" Siato replied playfully,

"[_Only huh? Well I guess those aren't_ _**that**_ _important._]" Genki replied just as playfully. He heard Siato chuckle, then sigh after a moment,

"[_Look I know you probably don't want the team lead position but you're the only other one who can handle it. So I'm appointing you to it, I already sent our boss an email on the matter._]" Genki sighed,

"[_It can't be helped, and you're right, the others wouldn't be able to handle it. Do you have access to your workstation remotely?_]"

"[_Yeah I have my work laptop with me._]"

"[_Send me the files and all information I'll need to complete this job. I'll be sure to look through it before work on Monday._]"

"[_I'll send an email to our team informing them of the change as well. Thanks for doing this, Genki._]"

"[_You're welcome. Just make sure you heal up._]"

"[_I will. Thanks again._]" He hung up and Genki disconnect his call status, he glanced over to see some strange looks.

* * *

"What?" he asked wondering what they all were staring for?

"It's just we didn't realize you knew another language, Genki my boy."

"It's my native language Hare, it's what a normally speak."

"What'd you're team leader say?" Tiger interrupted before things got off track again.

"He won't be at work for a while; he's in the hospital apparently. He'll be fine but it'll take him awhile to heal. So he's made me the team leader in his stead."

"Oh my, that's horrible. I'm glad he will be aright though." Holly stated,

"How he get hurt chi?" Genki glanced to the younger monster,

"He said he was in an accident. If I had to hazard a guess based on his injuries he was probably in a motorbike accident. I know he races on the weekends, and those races can get very dangerous."

"So he got hurt racing this motorbike?" Tiger tilted his head.

"That's my guess. He said he had a broken leg and pelvis. I'm sure they put those back in place but it'll take a few months for his pelvis to heal." He saw them all looked surprised at the news, "I can probably confirm it later. If he got hurt at a race there will be some news coverage of it." He shrugged, "Either way that puts me in a weird spot. Now I'm going to have to look through his files and get everything put together for next week. It'll take me a few hours at least to go through all his files and get a handle on what he was handling." He wasn't happy about this but he couldn't say no either. He knew the rest of the team couldn't lead the group or get everything done on time. That's why he was the auxiliary leader.

"Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you then." Holly's father stated at length, he felt for the boy. It was obvious that he worked hard, maybe even harder than they did.

"Hey, does team leader come with any perks?" Hare asked, now curious.

"Sort of… I will get a boost in pay but my work load just doubled essentially. Plus I have to meet with the client and show them the results of our work. I'm not very good with that kind of thing, nowhere near as good as Saito. There is a reason he was put in charge and not me. I'm not customer service oriented at all." Genki sighed, "But there is little choice, the rest of the team members would be even worse at it. And a couple of them would have a meltdown if they got suddenly saddled with extra work. So really I'm the only one who can do it."

"Well that sucks…"

"Indeed it does."

"Will you have to leave chi?" Mocchi seemed sad and unsure of his friend predicament now.

"No, I'm good Mocchi; I will have a whole day to prepare for work on Monday. I should be good as long as I don't sleep in too long tomorrow."

"Chi, Mocchi so happy chi!" he was all smiles again. Holly had dinner made by now and her father had set the table and was currently helping her place dinner on it.

"Well I'm glad you can still stay for dinner Genki, I think we are all glad to be able to talk with you again." Holly smiled to him; He saw the others nod in agreement with her simple statement.

"And I'm glad to be here with you guys too." He grinned at them,

"Let's eat then." Hare suggested taking his seat at the table. Once they were all settled and eating Hare brought up another topic of conversation. He discussed the biggest needs of the village, who they should have help plan their emergency rations, what they should do over the winter, and even if it was possible to create a large storage area for extra food. Genki sat and listened quietly as he ate his dinner. He was attentive, proven by the fact that he occasionally answered their questions. But for the most part he hung back and just enjoyed himself.

* * *

Once everyone had finished eating and dishes were put in the sink they all migrated to the living room.

"Hey Genki."

"Yes Hare?"

"About when do you think you can drop those items off for us?"

"Probably in 2 or 3 days why?"

"Just wondering, just in case we find something else missing. Oh! And here for the wine and apples." He handed Genki 5 gold coins, now Genki wasn't stupid, he suspected 1 gold would cover everything _if_ these were pure gold but he accepted the money with out bringing that up. He decided instead to save it aside in case they needed it back. Plus if he got services done by any villagers he would need it.

"Thanks Hare, I'll be sure to get those when I go shopping in the next day or so." He smiled to his friend, *_ I'm going to need some wine after this week... _* "I'll take one and have it tested by my friend since I have one. I'm sure I can get that done sometime this week. I'm supposed to go see her about a ring anyway. Errand from my dad while he's on the road this week." He added clarification before Hare jumped to conclusions.

"Oh, he's buying something for your mother I take it?"

"Yeah, their anniversary is coming up soon. He asked me to pick up his order and hold it for him till he gets back. He doesn't want mom knowing what he got her."

"So they just buy each other stuff?" Suezo asked, he noticed Holly's father looked amused by the eye stalks confusion.

"Sometimes Suezo, in this case it's actually a replacement for her wedding ring. Hers was damaged awhile back, the ring actually cracked. It didn't crack all the way but it is noticeable and apparently getting worse. So he bought a replacement, but it's more of an upgrade then a straight replacement."

"Expensive I take it?" Hare asked, now very curious.

"Very, but it doesn't look gaudy or anything. It's a rose gold band with small emeralds and sapphires around it; at the center is a black opal. It's actually well balanced considering all those gems." Hare whistled,

"Kid, your dad really knows how to buy a gift." Tiger stated, even he was impressed. Genki chuckled,

"He already had an idea what she liked Tiger. Growing up I heard her utter the phrase 'everything I like is too expensive, so I'm not getting anything' a lot. She apparently had seen a similar ring before but wouldn't buy it because of the expense. So he decided to get it for her."

"It sounds like he knows her well then." Holly's father interjected with a smile. Genki nodded and grinned back.

"Oh he does, those two finish each other sentences all the time. It was very confusing growing up. I thought my parents might be telepathic." He laughed a bit as the other chuckled.

"I think it sweet of him, and I'm glad you're willing to help." Holly smiled; she obviously loved hearing about his home life.

"I'm usually the one he calls, mainly because I actually respond back in a decent amount of time." Tiger tilted his head,

"Who else would he call Genki?" Genki looked at the confused wolf monster; it then dawned on him why he was confused. He chuckled,

"Though I generally don't mention them I do have a brother and a sister. We don't really talk that much and both of them seem laxed about answering when called."

"You have siblings?" Holly seemed stunned now. He nodded,

"Yeah, my sister is 5 years older than me; my brother is 3 years younger. My sister works a lot of hours and lives a few hours away, my brother is at the university getting his education for his career. I don't see either of them much, and honestly none of us have really ever talked that much." He shrugged, * _wow I never mentioned them in all this time… well when do I even think about them? I mean I see them once a year if I'm lucky. _*

"Wow chi! Mocchi didn't know you had a big family chi." Genki chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I guess they don't come up in conversation much."

"Can we learn more about your family chi?" Genki smiled and nodded,

"Sure Mocchi though it'll have to wait till next visit. I need to get home soon so I can get some sleep before I have to sort through my extra work."

"Ok chi, next time!" he declared triumphantly making Holly giggle and her father chuckle. Genki rose from where he was, stretching a little as he did.

"Holly can you make sure you guys have an idea what you want to do about those extra provisions by weeks end?" Holly nodded,

"Yes I can, I'm sure Hare and I can come up with a plan after we take inventory of what we have." Genki smiled,

"Thanks, it'll make planning on my side easier if I have a rough guess to work with." She smiled to him,

"How about I walk you back to the shrine?" Genki looked surprised but nodded.

"I'd like that, thanks." He knew if she wanted to do so that meant she wanted to speak with him alone. Tiger caught on to this as well.

"You sure you'll be ok walking back alone Holly?"

"I'll take my dagger if it makes you feel better. I'll be fine." He nodded his understanding. Suezo looked like he might say something but stopped when Holly gave him "the look".

"Just be careful." He stated, she nodded in return and gave him a smile.

"I will." She rose and walk to her room to get her dagger. Genki grabbed his bag and made sure he had everything. He then joined her as they walked out of the house.

* * *

Once they were a ways away from the village Genki broke the ice. He knew she had something on her mind but wasn't sure what exactly had caused her to seek time alone with him.

"Holly what'd you want to talk to me about?" he glanced her way to find her looking at him with a small smile.

"So you noticed huh?"

"You only do this if you need to talk to me in private." She giggled making him smile,

"I guess that's true. I wanted you to know why we didn't tell you about all of our hardships and just how bad it had gotten." He glanced her way showing he was listening, "We didn't want to burden you with our problems. We all know you work very hard and long hours, it seemed… unfair to make you bare our burden. We had considered telling you in person but our conversation the other night… made us worry that you couldn't help after you told us how much you lose in taxes." He shook his head,

"Holly I told you I'm fine and I have extra money tucked away. Really I'm not hurting financially at all. I may get lazy and use a cheap meal but I don't need to. And as far as bearing burdens, isn't that what friends do? Help each other through hardships?" He let her think a moment before continuing, "You know I love you all, you are a part of my family. I will always be willing to help you guys." He could see a new emotion in her eyes, what he had said had meant a lot to her.

"Thank you Genki." He smiled,

"Now, what all are you missing due to this rough year?" She sighed heavily,

"A lot of things unfortunately, the wheat harvest was very good but the vegetables, fruits, and nuts were not good this year. We aren't sure what happened but a lot of them… wilted and died. Others dropped their fruit and struggled to bare anymore."

"Was this a sudden thing?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmm… I'm thinking we need to investigate that a little then. There may be something more at play. I will bring a few things across to see if I can figure out what happened. I'm also going to do some research on my side since farming isn't something I know a ton about." Holly could see the determination he had,

"So you're food stores are very low. What about medicine?"

"It's low as well… we can't grow all the herbs we need in this region. Without the golds to buy what we are missing…"

"I understand. Add the medicine you need to the list. I need to know what the medicine does so I can get an equivalent on my side."

"Are you sure? This is a lot to ask for…"

"I'm sure. I want you all to be able to take care of yourselves this winter. There are other things besides ramen that keep well." She looked at him questioningly, he chuckled. "I'll explain later." He noticed they were almost at the shrine. She looked ahead and nodded,

"Thank you for being willing to listen Genki."

"Of course."  
"I'm sorry we kept this from you."

"It's alright, you had good intentions."

"Genki… I hope Hare's probing about your relationship status doesn't bother you. He's likely to do so again."

"Oh I find it a little annoying but nothing more than that."

"Does he pick on you too?"

"A bit, not as much though" he nodded, * _Figures, she can be a force to be reckoned with when she wants to be _*

"I will see you soon, take care Holly." He leaned forward and hugged her. She returned it; though brief it told her he cared a lot about her.

"I will, don't over work you're self Genki."

"I'll try not to." He grinned, Holly pressed the switch on the pedestal and Genki waved to her before Jumping though. Holly sighed after he left. * _I hope he really can help with everything and that he doesn't burn himself out trying to keep up with us and work._ * She walked home feeling hopeful about the future of the village.

* * *

Genki landed in a heap on his spare room floor, "Damn that hurts." He heard a cat meow as he got up off the floor. "Yes, yes I know you want food." He walked into the kitchen to feed his kitty. "There you go Raion, some nice Tuna." Raion purred and rubbed up against him in response before going to his bowl to eat. Genki walked up stairs to his room, he wrote himself a few notes then went to bed. *_it's going to be a very long week…_ *

_AAN: I didn't get as much plot setup done on this as I originally had planned, but we'll set up more plot next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this new story :D_


	2. Unexpected Visits

_AAN: I'm currently bouncing between stories trying to get a good rhythm going of these. Though the extra overtime has not helped my writing at all, as it leaves me drained. Yeah I'm an essential employee so no extra time off for me unfortunately. I hope you enjoy this chapter; I will have a bit more happening this time around to set up the main plot._

**Unexpected Visits**

Genki had spent most of his Sunday looking through the files he was sent by his colleague. Though it wasn't what he wanted to be doing with his Sunday he had little choice. Once he understood everything that Saito had been working on, he set about making a list of what he needed to do to get everything settled for this coming week. It took hours to get everything in order and a schedule laid out. Once he had all of that settled, he began work on some spread sheets for his friends in the monster world to be able to record what was needed, how much, and what the cost would be for items. He then made a schedule for himself for the week, planning to buy the items they had already requested Monday and deliver them that night or Tuesday morning for them. He also would get the gold coin checked towards the end of the week; all in all he spent most of his Sunday on the computer. He went to bed early that night hoping everything would go according to plan but he suspected that something wouldn't work out correctly despite all his planning.

* * *

Walking into work Monday he was met by his team who were all anxious and full of questions. Genki did his best to answer their questions while asking a few of his own. He ran into a little dissension in the ranks as it were, two of his team mates did not like him as leader.

"Fuck this I'm not taking orders from a green horn!" Kasumi swore at him as Hiro nodded.

"Kasumi it can't be helped. Saito won't be back anytime soon with the injuries he sustained. This project is due in a week; we don't have time for your nonsense right now." Genki kept his voice even despite how excitable Kasumi was. Hiro snorted,

"Like you know anything about this project, you're no leader. Just an errand boy delivering the package."

"Yeah if you had any real balls you'd have been leading us in the first place."

"A civi pussy like you can't lead our group." The other members who were not veterans looked on unsure of what to do. Genki just smiled,

"Are you two children done throwing a tantrum? Us adults need to get some work done. If you want to continue your tantrums then leave." He then looked to Rika before speaking, "Rika did the final program come in at the size we estimated for this machine?"

"Yes, it's a few gigs under size actually."

"Great, let's get the hard drive loaded up then. Kakashi, you are with Hiro and Getsu. I need the communications hub connected to the main server and machine. Kasumi, you and I will be installing the camera PC software interface and connections. Let's move people!" He walked off towards the PC in question, leaving a couple of stunned people behind him. When everyone was settled they all got to work on their specific parts of the machine. It took most of the day just to get the program loaded and communicating with the various parts of the machine.

* * *

That night he stopped at the store on the way home to get the apples and wine requested. He found the group up and ready to receive the items when he finally returned home. He made a quick jump across to deliver those items and pick up any extra orders. When he landed with the items he saw Holly there to greet him, Tiger next to her.

"Hey Holly" He smiled to her as he set his bag down and began to dig around in it. "I have both the apples and wine for you"

"Genki, thank you for doing all this." Returning his smile, she took the bag of apples he offered her and placed them in the leather bag she had brought with her. He then handed her the wine which she carefully wrapped in burlap then placed in the bag.

"You're very welcome Holly. I made sure the apples are a hard tart variety, they should make a great pie for you." He saw her smile warmly,

"I guess I should have known you'd know which type I'd need. I was a little worried after I realized I never asked you about that." He chuckled at this,

"I learned all about that from my mom growing up. So don't worry about that type of thing." He saw her nod "Is there anything else you guys need for this weekend?"

"Yes, if you don't mind getting a couple more things."

"It's not a problem. What do you need?"

"Well we could use some potatoes and some carrots." Genki nodded,

"I'll pick those up and get them to you by Thursday, if that's alright?"

"That will be fine Genki."

"Did you want just regular potatoes or sweet potatoes?" He saw her ponder that for a moment before answering,

"We really only need the regular kind but I would like to test a sweet one if you can bring me one."

"I can do that. If you want I can bring a few other things for you to play around with and see if you like them?"

"You don't have to; I don't want to burden you." She seemed worried about him again,

"It's fine Holly." Tiger walked up grabbing his attention.

"How much do we owe you Kid?" He inquired,

"For now nothing, I suspect that you're money has more value than my own. I'd rather wait till I can confirm that before I take anymore from you." Tiger titled his head at this, Holly also looked confused.

"I don't understand. How would ours be more valuable?"

"Because yours is actually made of gold. The currency of my country is not." Genki reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Tiger and Holly both watched as he pulled out a 5000 yen bill. He handed it to Holly who took it and looked it over before showing it to Tiger.

"It's paper?" Holly inquired,

"A paper and fabric mixture. The cotton makes it more durable." He saw her nod, "That is a 5000 yen bill. The government prints the money and denotes its value. Supposedly there are some bills backed by gold and silver, but that one is only backed by the government's word."

"Can't it be faked easily though?" Tiger looked confused again,

"No, the ink used it a proprietary blend. It shimmers in the light, and there is a water mark and magnetic strip embedded in the bill. Hold it up to the light and you'll see it." Holly did and could see both; she showed Tiger who looked impressed. "Though counterfeits have been made it's really difficult and almost none of them are perfect." Holly handed the bill back to him and he put it away,

"What's that card?" Tiger asked, catching a glimpse of something in his wallet. Genki smiled and pulled out his driver's license.

"This is my driver's license Tiger." He showed the wolf monster, though Tiger couldn't read most of it.

"So that's the thing the government makes you get?"

"If I want to operate a vehicle, yes." He handed it to Holly to look over. She returned it after a few minutes,

"I wish I could read it, it looks interesting."

"I'll bring a translation when I come across next time." He put the card away then smiled to them both, "Anyway, I should have a value on your currency by the end of the week. It's my hope that it won't be too hard to find the conversion rate after I have that information." He saw them both nod,

"You get a handle on all that extra work Kid?" Genki nodded to the wolf monster, he knew they were all worried.

"Yep, and I have a plan for the rest of the week. We got the machine loaded up today and it seems to be talking with everything it's supposed to be. Should be able to run it for the first time tomorrow and see if it can do its job properly. The rest of my team seems to have things under control despite the rough start this morning."

"Rough start?" Tiger tilted his head,

"Oh a couple of the team members were... less than enthusiastic about me being the team leader. We had a bit of an argument; once they got all their grievances aired they seemed to calm back down."

"Sounds like a hassle..."

"It is... I don't think I have heard that many curse words in one conversation before... those two really are military veterans." He sweat dropped remembering the swearing ex Sargent that morning.

"So they don't like you?" Holly ignored the cursing comment.

"Yes and no, they like me as a team member but not as the leader. They are both a lot older and apparently think I'm not qualified to lead due to my young age; well that and I never joined the military. Veterans have this weird thing where they will always respect other military people but generally not civilians. I'm going to have prove myself if I want their respect." Tiger snorted at this,

"Too bad they never saw you lead us." Genki smiled,

"Don't worry Tiger, I got one of them starting to see it my way after I took their vitriol and simply asked them if they were done throwing a childlike tantrum so we could get back to work. I think the older of the two found it impressive that I didn't react to their insults."

"They were insulting you?" Holly seemed worried now,

"Trying to anyway. I was ignoring most of their nonsense." He saw Tiger smirk, "I'll whip them back into shape before weeks end. Don't worry." He checked his watch and sighed, "I should get going, I'll need to get some sleep before our first test tomorrow."

"Go get some rest Kid; we will meet up with you later." Genki smiled and nodded to his friend. He then looked back at Holly who seemed to have something on her mind.

"Holly, take care and feel free to call me if anything else comes up." She smiled and nodded,

"Take care of yourself Genki."

"I will." He walked back to the platform and waited for Holly to open the gateway before hopping back across to his apartment. He headed to bed soon after he returned; making sure his kitty was fed and happy beforehand.

* * *

The next morning came all too quickly for Genki, but he managed to drag himself out of bed nonetheless. Once at work he found his team ready and waiting to start the testing. He smiled at this knowing he had at least smoothed things over with the veteran's for now. The tests began and Genki's week began to get busier as things went on. The machine had failed to read correctly and was miss-sorting. After a few tweaks to the code it seemed to be working well until they got another anomaly. This time it was deemed as a mechanical fault. Genki called the mechanics for the machine and returned to his team. He found one of the veterans poking around in a lower compartment where there were high voltage breakers.

"Kasumi! What do you think you are doing?" He yelled at the female veteran, soon he saw what she was about to do. Genki ran to where she was as she called back,

"Fixing this damn piece of shit! We don't have time to wait for those fucking mechanics."

"Don't touch that!" Genki saw her throw a switch, before he could reach her but he didn't slow down, he just pushed her out of the way. A bright blue light flashed and a loud crack could be heard as an arc flash occurred with the bad electrical panel. Genki cried out as he was hit on his arm on the way by. He pushed her to the floor and held her there till he was certain the breaker had tripped. Though the incident was only a few seconds long it felt longer to Genki. Once he let her up he saw the damage to the machine, he also suddenly realized how hurt his arm was. "Dammit that hurts." He hissed as he inspected the area. Kasumi was still very shaken up by what had just happened, the other veteran Hiro came running to Genki's side.

"Easy Genki, let me take a look at you're arm." He looked at the other members of their team. "Rika get the medical kit!" She turned and ran off to do so leaving him to shake his head. He then inspected Genki's arm carefully. "This is bad, you need a doctor Genki." He glanced to Kakashi who took the hint and walked to the phone making a call.

"Do we have anything to treat it till the paramedics get here?" Genki asked, though clearly in pain.

"Yeah, our kit has stuff for severe burns. You're lucky, that could have killed you Genki."

"I'm aware of the danger." Genki stayed calm despite how much pain he was truly in. Kasumi finally came around and realized what had happened. Genki glanced her way to find her wide eyed with guilt. "What on earth possessed you to bypass protocols? You know we aren't supposed to touch ANY of the breakers or electrical panels!" Genki kept his voice even despite how angry he was.

"I… I thought I could just flip the breaker back on and we could continue." Her voice was shaking; Genki sighed and closed his eyes to deal with the overwhelming pain he was feeling.

"Those rules exist for a reason. High voltage breakers can easily short and kill you if you aren't wearing protection." He gritted his teeth, the adrenaline was wearing off and the pain was worse now. "Are you hurt?" was all he asked, by now Rika had returned with the medical kit and Hiro was busy treating his arm. Hiro applied the burn salve they had carefully after donning some gloves. He knew Genki could get an infection if this was handled badly. Genki did his best to not move but couldn't help but cry out as his arm was doctored. Kasumi watched off to the side, guilt and regret welling up inside her.

"No I'm not hurt Genki."

"Good, then I got to you in time." Genki spoke through his pain, he was indeed glad he had protected her. Despite how she and Hiro had acted in the beginning of the week Genki harbored them no ill will.

"There that should hold you till you can see a doctor." Hiro looked at the younger man clearly worried. "You know, you have a hero's spirit, you were willing to die to protect someone. I'm sorry for calling you a coward before." Genki shook his head,

"It's fine, but perhaps you should take this as a lesson not to judge others before you truly know them." The older man nodded, Kakashi had left to meet the paramedics and Getsu had gone to tell their boss what had happened. Their boss, Desu, came running in looking less than his usual self.

"Genki, are you alright?" Genki glanced to his boss, seeing him nearly panicked over this accident made Genki smile a little inside.

"I'll live, but the machine is probably going to be down for a long while."

"I don't care of bout the machine. I'm just glad you are ok or will be anyway."

"I'll need to get this checked out, but I will be back to work tomorrow." Genki noticed his boss quirk an eyebrow,

"I'll take you to the hospital myself then." Just then the paramedics walked in with Kakashi, they saw Genki and immediately came to his side. He told them what had happened as the others looked on. They then looked at the med kit and determined that the salve used was out of date making it less effective. They un-wrapped his wound and cleaned it with a special type of solvent. They then placed a silver gel all over the burn which instantly numbed the pain for him. After re-wrapping it with a special bandage to defuse the heat they took their leave, but not before recommending that he visit a doctor to get a prescription for some burn ointment. Once the paramedics had left, Desu spoke again. "Who was playing with the panel?" he asked Genki directly, but before Genki could respond Kasumi stepped forward.

"I was boss; I thought I could speed us up by flipping the breaker back on rather than waiting for the mechanics to get here." Genki watched his bosses face change from surprise to anger.

"You know very well what the rules are concerning mechanical devices!"

"I do yes, I wasn't thinking about that at the time."

"So noted, you weren't thinking about much from the sounds of it. You could have been killed or gotten Genki killed!" Kasumi sighed; she knew he was probably going to fire her for this. Genki cleared his throat to catch Desu's attention.

"Boss if I may have a word with you?" He raised a brow at Genki but nodded.

* * *

The pair walked into the nearby office and Genki closed the door.

"What is it Genki?"

"I want to speak with you about this incident before you go firing people." He looked mildly surprised but nodded, "Ever since I took over there has been... tension in the group. Our veterans don't appreciate being led by someone as young as me, especially since I was never in the military. We have this bad culture in our building about that. The veterans only really respect each other and not anyone else. They have never been made to do so. Saito was a veteran, so he never had the issues that others face with this. Kasumi in particular was not respecting me as leader, Hiro to lesser extent. I believe that the tension, the culture, cultivated here caused this incident. She believed she was more effective a leader than I, hence why she tried to fix said issue herself. She wanted to get this project finished, the package delivered on time as it were. I don't believe she realized how dangerous those panels were. After all she never had the electrical safety course that I and Saito took." He saw his boss mull this new information over before responding.

"You're right... I have allowed this culture to exist and she was not trained the way you were. That doesn't excuse her breaking rules though."

"I never said it did." His boss looked surprised, "Mistakes are things we learn from, and I believe she understands the dangers of disobeying safety protocols now. If you want to reprimand her than do so, what I'm asking is that you not fire her. People need time to change, and a vet with PTSD even more so. I don't think we will have this problem any longer within our group." He saw Desu close his eyes to think it over, Genki waited as he did so.

"Alright Genki, I won't fire her but she will be getting a letter of warning for this incident and be on probation for 90 days." Genki nodded,

"Fair enough."

"I can't say as I understand you're reasoning but then you have always seen things I have not." He sighed, "I'm going to take you to the hospital, and you'll need a prescription after all. After that I want you to take the rest of the day off. I'm going to get the mechanics to fix the machine overnight and check it over for any more issues. It should be ready by morning. Give your team instructions on what to do while they wait." Genki nodded, he then walked out of the room with Desu following him.

* * *

Genki's team gathered around him as he returned.

"Getsu, you said before you thought there might be a few more lines of code that were off?" Getsu nodded,

"Yeah, a few seemed wrong after we got a feel for the machines interpreting."

"I want you and Rika to work on the first section of code, Kakashi and Hiro will be working on the second section, Kasumi will work on the interface code that was bugging up earlier." He saw them all nod, "Desu is taking me in to see a doctor and make sure everything it alright. After which I'll check in with you guys." At that moment his boss was on the phone with the mechanics, which still were on their way.

"You aren't going to come back and work, are you?" Rika asked clearly worried about him, she had a thing for Genki despite his never responding that way to her.

"As much as I would like to, the boss will not let me. But I will check in before I head home. He said he'd have the mechanics work overnight on the machine and give it a thorough check over to make sure nothing else is wrong." He saw Hiro smirked,

"Well just get some rest; I think you have earned it Genki." Genki nodded, he saw Kasumi walk forward now.

"Genki... I'd like to apologize. I should have listened to you... It was wrong of me to assume you didn't know what you were doing just because you are a civilian."

"Apology accepted, just don't assume things anymore" she nodded,

"I'm actually surprised I'm not fired..."

"I convinced our boss not to fire you, there will be repercussions though, just not that." He smiled to her; she looked at him in shock. He could see the others were also surprised. "I don't throw team mates to the wolves Kasumi. I never have and I never will." He heard their boss finish yelling at the phone and turned to see him huffing in annoyance.

"Kami help me I'm going to go insane someday."

"You mean more than you already are?" Genki quipped earning him a halfhearted glare. "You done screaming at mechanics for today?"

"I am yes; let's get you to the hospital. I'm sure you'd rather not be there all night."

"Indeed I would not. My team knows what they are doing so I'm all set to go." Desu nodded then looked at Kasumi,

"You and I will be having a talk after I return." She nodded to him; He then turned and walked out the door. Genki waved to his team and walked out after his boss. Kasumi had indeed been spoken to by their boss and receive a letter of warning and 90 day probation.

* * *

When Genki checked in with his team before he went home for the night. He found all of them nearly done with what he had assigned them. Kasumi walked over to him as he was about to leave.

"Can I speak with you for a moment in private?"

"Sure." He waved her over to his office. Once inside Kasumi looked a bit uncomfortable, she then met his gaze and began speaking.

"Genki… I wanted to thank you for saving my life… and my job. I never expected you to do something like that for me after what I did to you. I certainly didn't deserve it." He smiled to her,

"You're very welcome Kasumi. This wasn't about whether you deserved it or not. I would rather you learn from an experience then be penalized by it. Just make sure you use your talent for good from now on and don't worry about who was in the military and who wasn't." she nodded,

"I will. Genki I feel the need to pay you back…."

"That's not necessary, I didn't do what I did expecting any form of repayment."

"Are you sure? I could give you some pleasure for while, you defiantly deserve it." Genki's eyes widened after she said that, he hadn't expected her to offer he body to him. "I'm sure I can find some way of making it up to you in the bedroom." She whispered, she had taken his stunned silence as an invitation to move close to him. Genki took a step back shaking his head,

"That's not necessary Kasumi. No offense but you're not my type, and I don't do one night stands." He walked to the door, "If you want to thank me then just do your job and stay out of trouble. There is no need to do anything else."

"I've never known a man around here to turn down sex…"

"You just found one." He left the room deciding to go straight home.

By the time Genki got home it was late. He had his prescriptions and was told to wait till the next night to change the bandage to allow the gel to work properly. Despite his pain he managed to stay up and speak to Holly and the others briefly. He then went to bed, hoping the next day would do much better.

To his relief the following day went smoothly; everything now working as intended. They we able to get the machine to do everything required of it and even got it up to the target speed. With all the kinks worked out they decided to do the recording the next day to prove it was working for the client.

* * *

That night he stopped by the store to get the rest of the stuff Holly needed. Once home he told the group he was ready to jump across but requested that Holly be present when he did. She readily agreed as she was already planning to be there anyway. Genki grabbed his medical stuff and placed it in his bag with the veggies. He hoped Holly would help him dress his wound as he couldn't do it well on his own. After ten minutes he jumped across the gap like normal, managing to land and not disturb his wound too much. Genki smiled as he looked around to find Hare and Colt also present.

"Hey Colt it's been awhile. What brings you here?"

"Oh I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to say hello. What's with the bandage?" Holly had come forward by now concerned, Genki hissed as he got his bag off his back. She took it and helped him set it down.

"Oh we had a bit of an accident at work... I'll be fine but it'll take a bit to heal." He looked over at her, "I was hoping you could help me tend it Holly. I can't do it very well on my own." He saw her nodded,

"Of course. It's definitely not something you could wrap with one hand. Though these bandages are... very different."

"It's a special burn bandage; it's designed to pulled heat out of a burn." He opened his bag and pulled out his medical kit. She took it knowing he had everything with him.

"I need some alcohol for my hands." she stated, he pulled out a small bottle for her.

"Use this, it contains alcohol. It's designed to kill germs and stuff."

"How'd you get burned?" Hare asked, Tiger too looked interested.

"I got burned by an electrical panel overloading on the machine we were working on. One of my team mates thought she could fix it... I realized what she was doing and got to her before she could get hit by it but I wasn't fast enough to get out of the arcs path."

"Did it explode?" Colt asked excitedly.

"Kind of, it definitely fried everything around it. If I hadn't pushed her out of the way it probably would have killed her." Colt looked in deep thought,

"I've seen lightning pop out of bad panels before... it can even make them explode."

"That's called an arc flash Colt. It can be lethal depending on how much power is behind it."

"You mean you could have died?!" Hare exclaimed,

"Yes Hare, if it had enough power it could have killed me. I'm lucky this burn was all I got." He hissed as Holly finished unwrapping his arm. Holly's eyes told him she would be speaking to him about his dangerous behavior.

"Damn Kid... that's really bad."

"Doctor said it'd be a few weeks before it healed fully." Holly carefully took the ointment and applied it to his burn; being as gentle as she could as to not damage his flesh any more than it already was. Once she finished she waited a few minutes before trying to bandage it, letting the ointment soak in.

"You really need to be more careful." She said at length, "I know you were protecting someone but still... I've never seen a burn this severe before." he could see by her eyes she we deeply concerned and upset that he could have died.

"I don't try to get injured you know that, but I couldn't let someone die; even if that meant getting injured in the process." He saw her search his eyes a moment before sighing and nodded her understanding.

"Well I hope those team mates respect you after that." Tiger stated at length. Genki smiled to him,

"Oh they do. Both of them do, one of them treated my wounds after the incident."

"And the other one?" Tiger probed,

"Was the one I saved." Tiger's eyes widened,

"Wait... but you said she right?"

"Tiger, women can join the military too in my world. She served over ten years in the military." Holly seemed a loss for words but Colt wasn't.

"Oh my phoenix! You're world sound so interesting. I never thought any military would let women serve." He smiled,

"There are no barriers on occupations in my world. Doesn't matter what your gender is, if you can do the job you get the job."

"So why was she disrespecting you the other day anyway?" Tiger asked growling slightly,

"She believed I wasn't a good leader, in fact that's what caused the incident today. There has been... a bad culture that's been allowed to thrive in our company. The veterans only really respect other veterans; anyone who didn't serve in the military is basically ignored by them. Even though I had told her and the others to wait for the mechanics to come look at the machine when it broke, she believed I was wrong. So she tried fixing it herself. I had electrical training so I knew how dangerous those high voltage panels were, she didn't have that training. When I realized what she was playing with I just acted on instinct. It was only after the thing arced and fried it's self that she realized that I did know what I was talking about."

"That's so stupid!" Tiger growled again, Hare now perked up.

"What about the culture thing though? Will this happen again?"

"No, I don't think it will. After the incident I spoke to my boss about it. He agreed that he had allowed it to go on for far too long; he apologized to me in private later for this even being an issue in the first place. He said he'd take care of it."

"Well that's good, hopefully nothing else will happen."

"She get fired at least?" Tiger asked, Genki looked at the angry wolf monster then shook his head.

"No, but not because my boss wasn't willing to though. I asked him not to fire her." Tiger looked shocked,

"WHAT? WHY?" he sputtered in disbelief.

"Because not all of this issue was her fault. Yes, she should have never disobeyed protocol especially concerning safety measures but people make mistakes. They can't learn from them unless they are given the chance to. Besides she can do her job just fine, in fact better than some of the others. She has talent; she just needs to learn how things are outside of the military." Tiger still looked shocked, Colt decided to ask a question in the silence that filled the room.

"So… she got no punishment then?"

"Oh she was reprimanded, got a letter of warning and is on a 90 day probation. If anything else happens, she will be fired on the spot. All I did was make sure a warning took place rather than a firing. Given her... issues I think this will serve as enough incentive to get her to focus on her job and not who is a veteran and who isn't."

"What issues?" Hare asked, Genki debated how to answer that.

"Well... She has a bit of … PTSD from what I understand from her time in the military. A lot of veterans have it, both male and female. It affects them on both a mental and emotional level depending on what caused it in the first place. I don't know the specifics of hers but I know she defiantly has some issues. I could see it after the machine arced, the loud cracking sound and flashing light seemed to trigger her PTSD a bit. It took her several minutes to recover even though physically she wasn't injured. The other veteran coaxed her back out of it with what he was doing nearby her. I'm sure he was very much aware of the problem."

"PTSD?" Colt inquired, seemingly interested.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anyone can get it from something traumatic but veterans seem to get it more often. It's actually hard to say what causes it or who is susceptible to it. Everyone reacts differently to trauma."

"So she was affected by the sound and light?"

"Yes, I believe it made her remember something bad. Probably being shot at or something. Like I said I don't know the specifics." Holly had wrapped up his arm as they spoke, silently working as she thought over what had happened.

"So... how was she disrespecting you before?" Hare probed out of curiosity.

"She was the most vocal about not following my leadership. Was cursing up a storm and throwing out insults."

"What insults?"

"Oh the normal, 'not a real man cause you never served' and 'you're a coward' stuff." he shrugged, "Honestly it's not the first time I've heard stuff like that. Probably won't be the last either." Tiger grunted,

"Seriously? She was calling your manhood into question?" Genki nodded,

"She was yes, so was the male veteran. I don't believe they will be doing so now though. Hiro especially, he not only tended my wound when I first got it but he publicly apologized for his behavior."

"Did she apologize?" Holly probed now,

"Yes, though she did so a bit later. She even pulled me aside to speak with me privately on the matter, offering to pay me back for the trouble." Tiger snorted,

"Well hopefully you won't have any more issues then."

"I don't believe I will. We will be recording the machines functions tomorrow. So when I come across for the festival I can bring that with me."

"Oooo I'd love to see how this machine works, the others told me a little bit about it." Colt excitedly exclaimed making the monsters and Holly sweat drop.

"Are you staying for the festival?" Genki inquired, raising a brow at her.

"Yep" she beamed at him,

"Then I guess you'll be in luck then." he saw her squee over this and turned his attention back to Holly as Colt had one of her moments. "Holly, I normally wouldn't ask as I know you're busy. Would you be able to assist me with bandage changes till this heals up?" Holly smiled,

"Sure it's no problem Genki. Just make sure you are careful not to injure yourself more." He nodded, looking over at Colt still joyously squeeing and hugging Hare. Genki sweat dropped as he watched Hare attempting to get her to let go of him,

"She sure does love machines." Holly giggled a bit and nodded,

"Yes she does, I'm sure she will love seeing this machine you are working on." He smiled and nodded hoping there would be less hugging though,

"I got the veggies you wanted and a few extras as well." He reached into his bag, first pulling out the carrots and then the potatoes. Holly took them and placed them in her bag. He then pulled out a bag with a mixture of things. He opened it to show her what each was, by now Tiger had noticed the hand off and looked curiously at these new veggies, but he was also trying to stay way form Colt who had a death grip on poor Hare. "This is a Uami sweet potato" He picked up the purple root, Holly took it and looked it over.

"It's very dense, is the inside purple as well?"

"Yes, and they tend to be more sweet then orange variety." He saw her nod, he then picked up a long white vegetable. "This is a diakon radish, they are a bit strong but work well in stews, soups, and stir-fry's." Holly looked over the strange root vegetable with wonder, she'd never seen a radish that wasn't round or red before.

"I'll have to try a piece to figure out how to balance it." He smiled as he saw her coming up with ideas already.

"I'm sure it won't be too hard." He pulled out some ginger, "This is a ginger root. It's super strong so only use a little bit at a time. It works well in almost anything as long as you like the flavor. It can get spicy if you put too much in. Oh and it works well to settle stomachs if put in tea."

"So it had medicinal affects as well as being a good ingredient? That's very handy." He smiled,

"This is a leek, it's related to an onion but it's not as strong of a flavor." He handed her the big stalky vegetable. She looked it over finding it interesting.

"And last we have a Kabocha." He handed Holly the small green pumpkin like gourd. "Like I said before it's similar to a pumpkin but it has a slightly different flavor." Holly nodded,

"I was thinking it'd be bigger than this."

"Some are, this is just a small variety." He saw her nod. She placed all the items in her bag, mentally already planning what she might try to do with these.

"Thank you Genki, these all look wonderful." she beamed a smile at him, which he returned. One thing he loved was making her happy.

"You're very welcome Holly. I'm glad to be of help." They glanced over after hearing Hare gasp for air; he had finally pried Colt off of him. Both humans and Tiger sweat dropped seeing him running away from her.

"So you're working tomorrow despite your injury Kid?" Tiger inquired,

"Yeah, most of my job doesn't require much physically speaking. Nothing I do at work should bother my arm." He smiled to the wolf monster knowing this was his way of showing concern.

"Hey Genki, Mocchi and I were reading about the various festivals in your world. Are you attending any of them?" Genki glanced at Hare a little unsure of why he was asking, noting the rabbit monster was hiding behind Tiger now, who looked mildly annoyed.

"Maybe, depends on my work load. I usually attend the Kurama Fire festival if I can. Though it does require a bit of travel to get to the shrine where it's held." Hare looked deep in thought a moment as he tried to place that festival name.

"I take it it's not a local festival?" Colt asked, she had finally recovered from her excitement.

"No, it's in another city at one of their shrines. Most of my cities festivals are in the summer. Though I did go to Fukuro Matsuri back in September, which was in my city."

"What city do you live in?" Hare asked trying to bring up a mental map from what he read.

"Tokyo, the nations capital."

"I assume it really large then being the capital?" Colt asked making Genki glance her way.

"The most recent count was over 13 million people within Tokyo's prefecture. Yes, it's by far the largest of all the cities in my country. There's over 39 million within the metropolitan area around Tokyo." He noticed he had stunned them into silence. Tiger shook his head,

"I still don't know how you don't kill each other…" Genki shrugged,

"It's just how we are, generally speaking most of us work very well together even if we don't like each other."

"Still that's a lot of people…" Hare said at length.

"It is yes, and there are a lot for jobs for them to do." He glanced around then smiled to Hare, "Anyway does that clear things up or do you have questions still?"

"I believe so… though I'll have to look those festivals up." Genki nodded,

"Genki your world seems so fascinating! It reminds me of the ancients, and how advanced they were." Colt glance to Holly then smiled, "Don't you agree Holly?" Holly looked mildly surprised for being included in that statement but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, it seems like your world is on a similar path as the ancients." Genki nodded his understanding,

"I suppose that's true though we are no where near the ancients in the genetics technology department."

"Genetics?" Colt asked confused,

"The ancients used genetics to create a lot of the monsters in those labs we saw. My worlds technology is very lacking in that. We couldn't make monsters if we tried right now." He snorted "they can't even make a clone without running into major issues. It's going to be a long time before anything like that takes place. Assuming the populace at large allows it."

"Why wouldn't they allow it?" Tiger inquired,

"It's controversial to say the least right now. There are many that don't believe humanity should be playing God as it were." Holly seemed to be thinking about what he said, though she didn't know much about genetics, it seemed like something that was no longer possible in her own world. Colt decided to bring up another related topic,

"So I wonder if that factory we found in the south is a genetics lab? What do you think Holly?" Colt glanced to her friend, Holly looked over at her weighing her words.

"It is possible I suppose… I mean it was pretty run down and hard to tell what anything used to be." Genki looked confused now, he hadn't realized Holly had done any traveling. * _good, she needs to get out more and see the world. She does enough work at home. _*

"I take it you joined one of Colt's expeditions?" He asked, he was curious as to when this had occurred. Holly looked back at him realizing he hadn't been told about her little adventure.

"Yes, it was about a three weeks ago. Colt invited me to go, she thought that maybe with my abilities I could help her solve a few of the mysteries surrounding this particular site." Holy saw Genki nod his understanding.

"Did it go well?"

"Kinda, we solve a few but we ended up with more questions than answers."

"It's really too bad you don't have pictures, I might be able to figure out some of it for you… perhaps I will have to take a trip some time."

"Pictures? How? I mean we can't exactly cart a big camera around…" Colt replied very confused. Genki knew they had cameras but they seemed to be wet photography cameras which were very large and bulky.

"Tell you what, I'll bring you a gift at the festival Colt and show you how to use it. The cameras from my world are much smaller and very easy to use."

"OH MY PHOENIX! That would be so AWESOME!" Genki chuckled at her reaction.

"Well I hope you had some fun exploring Holly." He turned back to her as Colt bounced around excitedly again.

"It was very fun yes, I enjoyed being able to see this place without us being on the run from some baddies." Genki chuckled,

"I bet." He glanced to his watch noticing how late it was and sighed, "Unfortunately I have to get going. I still have 2 more days of work before the weekend." He notice Holly seemed deep in thought for a moment.

"Genki I was thinking, how about tomorrow I jump across so you don't have to almost injure yourself getting here." Genki was taken aback, Holly had never asked to come to his world before, in-fact she seemed a bit apprehensive about it.

"Sure if that's what you want to do. I don't have a problem with it." a smile graced her lips as she nodded,

"It is, I'd rather you not stress that arm if it can be helped." He smiled in return and nodded, then rose to grab his bag. Holly had placed his med kit back in his bag earlier.

"Alright, I will see you tomorrow," He smiled to Holly, "Colt you behave now, don't try to kill Hare anymore ok?" He teased the excitable girl.

"Hey I did not try to kill him." She glared putting her hands on her hips.

"I beg to differ" Said Hare making everyone but Colt laugh, who was now pouting a bit. Holly walked to the pedestal as Genki walked to the platform. Soon the gate was unlocked and he jumped through after waving. Genki landed on the floor hard, hissing in pain as he tried to get up. After placing is pack down he went to his room, more than ready for some sleep.

* * *

With Genki sent home the group headed back to the village, as they walked Tiger decided to probe Holly a bit over her decision.

"Holly, why'd you decide to jump across? I thought you said you weren't ready for that." He kept his voice soft and inquisitive though he was a bit worried about the young woman in question. Holly glanced down at him for a moment before returning to looking at the road ahead. Colt and Hare had both perked up as well waiting for Holly to answer.

"I decided that my discomfort does not outweigh his health. I would rather he not re-injure his arm traveling here more than he needs to. I know you didn't get the best look at his wound Tiger but it was very severe. I've never seen anything that bad before and I'm sure he was in a lot of pain though he never said anything." She glanced over to find him deep in thought now, "He's done a lot for us, and will probably do more from the sounds of it. I figured this was the least I could do in return for him." She gave the wolf monster a soft smile, before she looked away once again with a sigh. "Besides… I'm not sure I'll ever be "ready" as it were. I just need to do it and get it over with."

"Why is that Holly?" Colt asked not intrigued with the direction this conversation was going. "I'd jump at the chance to visit his world." Holly seemed to be weighing her words again for a moment before responding. Putting what she felt into words was not always easy.

"Colt it's not as simple as it may seem. We know that he can travel back and forth freely but what we don't know is if we can without any problems occurring." Hare decided to pipe up now,

"Holly is right about that, it is our theory that we too can go across but none of us have tested it yet. There could be complications that we don't know about." Tiger snorted,

"True as that may or may not be, we won't know doing nothing." He glanced to Holly who still seemed apprehensive about things; "Holly, if it would make you feel better about this I can jump across first. I don't mind trying it." Holly looked startled by his statement,

"Tiger, I appreciate that, I really do; but you could be in more danger than me. After all Genki has told us explicitly that there are no monsters in his world. What if the portal hurts you in the process?" Tiger barked a laugh at this.

"Well we won't know till we try." Holly didn't seem convinced though. Colt though keyed up on something else,

"Wait… so none of you have tried to go to his world at all?" All three glanced at Colt seeing her looking at them expectantly.

"No, none of us have." Holly confirmed,

"Why though? I mean hasn't Genki asked you to come before?" Hare gave her a sideways glance before elaborating for the group.

"He has mentioned it but he does so in passing. I think he doesn't want to push us into jumping across. He knows there is some danger just as we do, at least for us monsters. The unknown of what his world will do is the main reason we haven't tried yet."

"So… you're afraid of what the portal might do to you?" Colt asked for clarification.

"Yeah." She then glanced to Holly,

"Well that kind of makes sense for them but why are you so afraid Holly?" Colt was genuinely confused now. Holly remained silent for a moment before answering.

"I just… have a bad feeling about this. I can't explain why, but ever since he mentioned it the first time; it's been something I can't shake. It was before we even realized the monsters might have an issue crossing. It's not something I can explain very well. I already spoke to Genki about it a while ago. He's aware of my feelings on this."

"Then why jump across?" Colt asked, "It's not like he asked you to."

"I'm hoping that by doing this I can get past these feelings I have about his world. I'm still scared but I value his health and safety over my fear. For all I know this feeling is just irrational fear of the unknown, something that will never go away unless confronted. If I have learned anything from Genki it's to confront your fear and not let it control you." Tiger smirked at this,

"Very well said Holly. I'm glad you learned from him like the rest of us have." She smiled to her monster as he looked on proudly. She knew he was very happy that she had the courage to try to face her fears. I wasn't something that came easily to her, not after some of the tragic things that occurred in her life. But she was stubborn enough to not want her fear to hold her back.

* * *

After a few more minutes walking Tiger perked up suddenly and started to growl.

"Come out! I know you're there." they heard chuckling as a group of bandits came out of hiding.

"Not bad wolfy but it won't stop our plans regardless."

"Oh? And what plans are those?" Hare asked getting ready for a fight. Holly had her hand on her dagger while Colt was ready to draw her weapon as well.

"Give us all your money and no one gets hurt."

"How about you leave before one of you gets hurt." Tiger challenged back with a punctual growl, his horns lighting up with sparks. Several of the bandits stepped back but the leader just frowned. It was obvious he had thought this was an easy attack. He knew now this was not easy prey he was after. After a few tense moments, the leader decided to attack anyway.

"Guess we do this the hard way. Get them boys!" he and his group charged forward. Tiger wiped out 3 at once including the leader. Hare took out two while Holly and Colt worked as a team dealing with three others. The leader recovered and decided to go after one of the ladies, hoping to get a hostage. He ran at Holly who dodged him with practiced easy. She squared off against him as Colt took out his allies with the energy gun she carried. Holly's blade clashed with the leader's large heavy one, over and over, until he made a mistake. He lunged forward and Holly dodged. Soon the leader froze, he looked down and found Holly's blade embedded in his abdomen. Holly pulled back, jumping to the side before he could attack again. She tried to ignore the blood on her weapon as she waited for his next move; he lunged one last time slamming his blade into hers as she blocked him. Both blades breaking on impact, neither able to take anymore punishment. Colt stepped to the side and fired killing the leader, as soon as he fell the other bandits fled. After everyone had a chance to catch their breath Tiger walked over to Holly.

"You alright Holly?" She nodded to him still panting,

"Yeah, I'm fine. My dagger isn't though." Hare had picked up the front half of her blade, wiping it off on the grass he handed it back to her.

"We can see about getting a new one or fixing this one." Hare offered, though he planned to mention this to Genki, hoping he might be able to get her a stronger blade.

Holly took the pieces and placed them back in the sheath with a sigh. Blades weren't cheap; she just hoped it wouldn't strain their funds too much. They continued on their way home hoping for no more surprises.

* * *

The next day was pretty easy on Genki and his team. Recording the functions of the machine was an easy and straight forward task. Genki was left in charge of editing the footage after they finished. As he worked on that, his team worked on getting master copies of all the software burnt to flash drives. Desu walked over to Genki's desk watching the young man work.

"I know you're excited to finish this project but you don't have the rush the editing." Genki paused and looked at Desu with a playful smile,

"I know but I want to get this finished before the end of the day."

"Any reason why?" Desu probed now intrigued,

"I figured it would give our client more time to look it over and decide if they want an in person demonstration or not. Plus it gives us more warning if they want that second contract started or not."

"I wasn't aware you know of the possible second contract." His boss raised an eye brow at him,

"Oh Saito mentioned it in his email to me." His boss just sighed and shook his head,

"It figures he'd do something like that. Anyway, that all depends on if they like our work. Based on what I saw earlier they should like how the machine runs." Genki nodded with a smile, "You've done very well considering all that's happened. I'm leaving you in charge of any future projects we have." Genki's expression changed to surprise at this news, "And I'm giving you a pay raise… for having to overcome so much adversity."

"You serious?" Genki could hardly believe his ears.

"Yes, I'm raising you up to Saito's pay level."

"Wow… thanks boss. I never expected a raise like that."

"You've more than earned it." He smiled to Genki, "since you'll be done with that today. I'm giving you and your team administrative leave for tomorrow." Genki gave his boss a suspicious look.

"Not saying I don't appreciate it but are you feeling alright? I haven't heard of you _ever_ giving anyone administrative leave before." Desu laughed at the young man as he received another suspicious glance.

"Oh I'm feeling fine Genki, don't worry. Your team has been through a lot and I want to make it up to everyone involved. I never should have allowed such animosity to grow within the teams of the company. It hurt everyone, not just those involved. I think you all have earned a little break, besides I'd like you to take it easy for a day. I am still concerned about your arm, and I know I'm not alone on that." Genki slowly smiled at his boss then nodded,

"I'm aware of their concerns yes. Though I appreciate that they are worried about me, I am fine really. I've had some pretty bad injuries before, I know how to cope with them and still get some work done safely." it was Desu's turn to be giving disbelieving looks,

"I have heard of your… extracurricular activities. You and Saito are like two peas on a pod I swear. Regardless, take tomorrow off. I insist." Genki nodded,

"Alright, thank you sir." Genki smiled to his boss, he then saw his boss nod and walk away to tell the others of their good fortune. Genki turned back to the screen, looking over what he was doing and then resuming the editing process. All the while thinking * _Man, what a lucky break. I never thought I'd get a promotion, pay raise, and leave all in one day. Now what should I do tomorrow? I mean I still need to drop by the forge but after that… maybe I could actually play some games for once. I rarely get to do that much anymore. _*

* * *

By the time the day ended Genki was more than ready for a day off. He had indeed finished the video and sent it off to the client. He just hoped it was to their liking so that his team could relax for a bit. He took a copy of the video and placed it on his thumb drive, this he would edit in a different way so his friends could see how the machine functions once he got home. On his way out he was stopped by Rika, her expression told him that she was very worried about him. She glanced at his arm then back to his eyes.

"Genki… are you sure you should be working so much?"

"I'm fine Rika, nothing we do here normally will stress my arm." She nodded, she then did something he hadn't expected, and she embraced him. "Rika?" he asked gently as he awkwardly held her. She didn't answer right away, but when she did he understood she felt more for him then he first realized.

"Genki… I was so worried you'd die when you protected her…. I don't even understand why you protected her…. Or why you saved her job! She was reckless…. She didn't deserve your kindness after what she had done to you! So why? Why save someone who only showed you disrespect and threw vitriol at you?" Genki held her a moment before responding.

"I know you may not understand but showing kindness to people who hurt you is a way of correcting them. Perhaps they don't deserve it. It takes real strength to show your enemy the correct path instead of writing them off as a lost cause. I'm not someone who gives up on others so easily. Besides you know as well as I do that she can program just fine, that was never an issue." Rika was silent a moment before asking her next question.

"You like her don't you? Is it because of how she wanted to repay you?" Genki looked shocked now.

* _So she overheard that huh? Well this makes things awkward. _* Before he could respond she suddenly pulled back.

"I can give you the same as her. I'm more than willing to bed you if it'll make you happy." Genki had only a moment to register what she was doing before she forcefully kissed him. He hadn't realized how desperate for his love she truly was. He pushed her back, ending the kiss and staring her directly in the eyes.

"Rika stop, I'm sorry but I don't feel for you that way. Nor do I like Kasumi that way either. She is coworker nothing more. If you had been listening you would know I turned her down on her offer."

"You didn't take her up on her offer?"

"No, I didn't." Rika seemed confused now; she wasn't sure what to do now that he had rejected her. "Look I know you care about me. I'm flattered really but you're just not my type. You'll find someone better than me; just don't throw yourself at them. It's not very becoming of a lady such as yourself." Genki gave her a pat on the shoulder before he left the building; he wasn't sure what else to do. Things in his team had just gotten every complicated.

* _I'll have to be very cautious from now on. I don't want that happening again. Seriously, why are women always doing that around me… it's very annoying._ * Genki wasn't a fool, he knew he was good looking but in his mind that didn't excuse such behavior. He sighed as he made his way home. * _Yet… the one woman I really want to be with…. Doesn't want to try the long distance thing…this fucking sucks._*

* * *

Once he arrived home he fed his kitty and got a snack. He knew he had gotten home early so he would wait till his friends were ready. He sat down and decided to plan out his day off. He knew he needed to get the ring for his dad, get the gold weighed and tested, calculate an exchange rate, and then make up a list of possible non-perishable items for his friends. Then there was making his dessert for the festival. * _hmmm… what should I make? Nothing too complex since my arm hurts enough as is… but it needs to be good. _* he wracked his brain for a bit before it occurred to him that there was one thing that would be both easy and delicious. * _That's it! I'll make Mushi Pan, I think both matcha and chocolate will work. Though I may have to tell them what matcha actually is. Shouldn't be hard, after all I helped mom make them all the time when I was young. _* Now that he knew his plan he went to look for the recipe; finding he needed only two ingredients he wrote them on his to do list. As he finished up his list he heard Hare calling him. He transferred the call to his watch again, "Yeah I'm here Hare."

"Hey Genki, before Holly comes across I got a favor to ask."

"What is it Hare?"

"Well yesterday on the way home we ran into a bit of an issue. Some bandits attacked, we fended them off but Holly's dagger broke in the process. Do you think that lady friend of yours could repair it?" Genki's face held a look of shock, * _Bandits? Since when are there bandits doing raids?_ *

"I'm not sure, but I can certainly have her take a look at it. We'll need all the pieces though."

"Ok, I'll make sure she brings them." Genki was still recovering from his surprise,

"Hare, tell Holly to be ready for a hard landing. The portal tends to throw you out of it. I put down some padding but I want her to expect what it'll do. The color will change to a dull gray just before you hit the end of the tunnel. That'd be when you should expect to pop out of the portal."

"Alright I'll tell her. Thanks for being willing to help Genki."

"I'll always help you guys when I can Hare." He heard Hare leave, Genki started his timer. He'd get the portal ready in 8 minutes on his side. It usually took 10 minutes for them to arrive at the shrine, and he doubted Holly would just hop through. * _I just hope this isn't too stressful on her. I know she's terrified of this..._ *

Back in the monster world both Hare and Tiger were escorting Holly to the shrine. Tiger could smell her fear but said nothing to her. Instead he hovered close by her to make sure she felt his presence. As they walked, Hare decided to talk with Holly about what Genki had said.

"Holly, I was told some information about the portal for you. Genki told me to expect a hard landing on the other side. Apparently he has some padding but he wanted you to know the portal throws you out at the end. He said you'll see a color shift to dull gray just before you hit the end of the portal." Holly looked over at him with mixed feelings but nodded,

"I'll look for it then. I'm still not sure why you asked his help with my blade though."

"I figured his black smith friend might be able to help. That's assuming it's repairable." She nodded, she hadn't really thought of that. As they drew closer to the shrine the knot in her stomach became worse. She was putting on a brave front but Tiger realized she was terrified.

"Holly, are you sure you don't want me to go first?" Holly looked over at him startled.

"No, Tiger I'll be fine." He frowned, her stubborn side was kicking in but she was still afraid. He sighed, as he walked with her up to the pedestal. Soon Hare powered up the shrine and Holly walked to the platform. They both could tell she was terrified; she glanced back at Hare and nodded. Hare returned her nod.

"Unlock!"

* * *

Genki on his side could see just how scared she was, he could tell she was shaking as she walked up to the platform. "Holly…" He saw them exchange nods, soon he punched the button in time with Hare's unlock opening the gate. He moved to the side to make sure he'd be out of Holly's way. To his surprise Holly soon came flying out of the TV onto the floor. She managed to land on her hands and knees, the large yoga mat he'd put down taking the impact. Once she was there, he put his controller down and walked to her side. "You alright, Holly?" She looked around confused then saw him. He could still see the fear in her eyes. He knelt down and pulled her into a hug. Holly's dam of emotions broke and she sobbed into his chest as he held her. He could still feel her shaking, resolving to just hold her till she was alright; he shifted to sit down. It took Holly a good 5 minutes to calm down all the way.

"Thank you Genki…" her voice was just above a whisper as it came to his ears.

"You're very welcome, you feeling better now?" his voice equally as soft, holding concern for her.

"Yes, I'm fine… Sorry about that…"

"There's no need to apologize, I understand Holly." He pulled back to look into her eyes. He smiled and gently wiped some of her tears away with his hand. "Think you can stand?" she nodded, letting go of him she got up. He rose as well, he then indicated for her to follow him. She did so as she looked around his home.

"So the portal is right in your home?"

"It opens here, yes" he arrived in the kitchen, she noticed his receiver nearby. Genki had cleaned up some before she had arrived. He also made so tea as evident by the tea set sitting on the counter. Holly had to admit he had a nice home, it was definitely a lot different than anything she had seen before.

"HEY GENKI!" Genki and Holly both covered their ears at a sudden scream coming from the receiver. Genki walked to the device and activated it. Though he would normally use his watch, he knew Holly might want to talk with them as well.

"Suezo! How many times have I told you not to scream into the receiver?!"

"IS HOLLY ALRIGHT!" they both cringed and covered their ears again.

"Someone get him away from the device please before we go deaf!" He heard some commotion then heard Granity's voice.

"We got him."

"Thank Kami, Holly made it here just fine." He indicated for her to talk with them for a moment.

"I'm here guys, safe and sound."

"We're glad to hear it. Sorry about Suezo."

"It's fine Granity I know he worries about me."

"So how was it." Holly glanced over to see Genki pouring some tea and setting it on the table. She noticed his medical kit nearby now as well.

"Strange… kind felt like I was falling most of the time. Though I couldn't tell what direction I was going. It's rather disorienting honestly. But I was able to tell when I would drop out the other side, thanks to Genki's instructions."

"That's good, we'll let you go. Let us know when you want to come back and we'll have someone waiting."

"I will. Thank guys." With that Holly turn the microphone off. She walked to the table Genki was sitting at and took a seat.

"Have some tea, I figured it might help you relax. I know you were terrified. I'm honestly surprised you wanted to jump across, I never expected you to ask." Holly could tell by his expression he was worried about her.

"I was scared yes, but I wanted to face my fear so I could help you." She took a sip of her tea, enjoying the flavor. It was a light tea containing a lot of floral notes. "What is this?" she asked while taking another sip. It was definitely helping her to relax after such a scary experience.

"It's a white jasmine tea, which is a mixture of oolong and jasmine together." Holly wasn't sure what oolong was but she was enjoying her tea anyway.

"Well it's very good. Thank you for being so considerate." He smiled and nodded,

"Holly, I was told by Hare that you guys were attacked yesterday." She sighed,

"Yes, unfortunately we were. We were able to fend them off. I… was forced to severely wound the leader. Colt killed him, but he would have died regardless. My dagger broke during the fight, I'm just lucky Colt was there." She noticed he seemed even more worried about her now.

"Are bandits common now?"

"No, they are around but not common. Some villages in our area have reported attacks recently." He nodded then asked his next question,

"So what caused your dagger to break?"

"My blade and his were clashing… both blades broke actually…. When I blocked one of his strikes."

"Really? That's odd, though extremely fortunate from the sounds of it." Holly nodded in agreement; she knew she had been extremely lucky. Holly reached into her bag and pulled out the weapon in question. Genki set his tea down and began to look it over. Holly watched him, though she was uncertain of what he was looking for.

"Hey, you there Genki?" Hare's voice came through, startling the two. Genki rolled his eyes; he then lifted his arm and tapped on his watch. Holly noticed the lights flash then change on his receiver.

"Yes, Hare what is it?"

"I was wondering if you knew if your friend could forge a blade that size?" Holly looked startled to hear the voice coming from Genki's watch now.

"You mean a dagger? Yeah she does swords and armor even, though not as many." He heard a sigh of relief on the other sigh, which made Holly raise a brow.

"Hare is there a reason you are asking?" Holly spoke hoping they could hear her like she believed they could.

"I was just making sure we could get you a replacement Holly. So did you're trip across go well?"

"Yes, it was fine Hare, though strange."

"I'm glad." While Hare and Holly had been chatting Genki had been looking over the grain structure of the blade.

"Hare… I highly doubt this can be repaired. I may not be a smith but I have seen failed forgings before. Akame teaches a class on how to forge. If I recall what she told me correctly, this blades quench was botched."

"What do you mean?" He heard Granity ask, apparently the others were nearby as well.

"Well, the grain structure in the section that broke is enlarged. This means it was too hot when they were trying to harden the blade. In this state it becomes fragile; I'm also seeing an incomplete temper. Part of the blade chipped but part has rolling. Not all of this had hardened. But more troubling is the base of the blade where it broke. Not only was the grain enlarged but I'm seeing a clear delamination point. Whoever did this really needs to work on their skill."

"What's a delamination?" Tiger asked gruffly,

"It's a point where the metal didn't fuse to itself. Most billets are foraged from many pieces of metal, that metal is laminated together to become one solid piece. However, if you aren't careful scale can build up in between the layers and form a cold shut. This can cause delamination where the metal peels away from itself. Sometimes these are easy to spot others like this one are buried in the middle. But they are always a weak point in the metal. This was more of a when was it going to break than and if." Holly had looked intrigued as he spoke, he handed it to her so she could look it over. "It's not repairable but I can get another one made for you." He spoke to her now; she had seen the weird coloring in the blade but hadn't realized it was a problem until now.

"Thank you Genki."

"Well kid, you always seem to surprise me."

"Why is that Tiger?"

"You know so much on so many subjects. I swear there's nothing you don't know." Genki chuckled at this.

"Now you're exaggerating Tiger. There are many things I don't know. I just research things I have an interest in."

"Oh, you and I should totally date; we have so much in common!" Colt's voice burst through the speaker. Genki's eyes widened a moment before he sighed, his hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. He spoke as evenly as he could to her despite how he felt right now.

"Colt, I have been through this with you before. My answer has not changed."

"Aww…" Colt pouted off to the side now. "But you never even gave me a chance…"

"Colt, seriously you are not my type. We have shared interests yes but that alone does not make for a good relationship."

"And why wouldn't it? I thought lovers were also best friends!" Genki looked like he was weighing his words. Holly had decided to remain silent and merely wait to see how he answered. She wasn't exactly sure what he viewed as a health relationship.

"Often times they are best friends yes, but that isn't the only thing that matters. My parents for example share very little in common interest wise but their personalities complement each other perfectly."

"Wait so they don't have much in common?" Genki snorted now at her confusion,

"Not at all. But they will do things for each other despite not sharing the interest. It's a give and take between them."

"I still don't see why you won't date me; I think we are perfect for each other." Genki sighed; he now realized he would have to be blunter. He glanced to Holly who seemed to be waiting for his reply.

"Colt whether you realize it or not our personalities clash. That is the reason I won't date you, I can tolerate you as a friend; but living with you would be a whole other matter." Holly noticed by his expression that he didn't want to be mean but couldn't find any other way of conveying it to her. "Colt you need to find someone who loves you for who you are. Don't try to change to meet what they want. True love doesn't demand change." He noticed Colt hadn't said anything; he chanced a glance to Holly who looked a bit surprised and worried. He heard Tiger clear his throat,

"Genki you really are something else... We'll let you go. I'm sure you'll find a suitable blade for Holly. Just call us when she's ready to return." He heard them shut of the microphone.

* * *

He sat quietly a moment before sighing.

"Holly… I hope you realize I didn't want to hurt her."

"I know. I can tell this was stressing you out." she noted he wouldn't meet her gaze right now. He seemed upset but she wasn't sure why.

"She may need someone to comfort her when you get back… I'm not sure how she'll handle this." Holly reached over and took his hand,

"Don't worry about that, I will help her if she needs it." she decided he needed to share some of his burden. It was obvious he wasn't handling this well. "Genki, I know you're upset. I'm willing to listen if you need to talk to someone." Genki smiled slightly,

"I should have known you'd notice…" he finally looked up at her again. As she met his gaze she realized there was pain in his eyes. She wasn't sure if it was physical or emotional and that bother her a great deal. "I'm not even sure how to explain… I've never been good with emotions." she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze,

"Just tell me what you think is important." she was well aware that he had issues expressing things like emotions. It was something she had noticed early in their friendship.

"Well it just seems that every time someone decides to hit on me it's for the wrong reasons. I already had an issue today with a coworker over this same thing. I've known for a while that she likes me and I've done my best not to respond to any of her advances. Wasn't enough to discourage her though, so I had to confront her today." Holly probed a bit now,

"What are the wrong reasons Genki?"

"My looks for one. I know I'm attractive, I'm not stupid but still that alone should not determine a relationship. Colt at least sees more than my looks but she's still not taking personality or compatibility into account." he sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "At least she hasn't tried to throw herself at me yet…. And hopefully won't now." Holly was confused, * _does that mean what I think it does?_ *

"Genki what do you mean by "throw herself at you"?" She heard him sigh again,

"Rika offered to bed me earlier. I told her no; she had made an assumption that was what I wanted. She actually had managed to surprise me, pinned me to the wall and kissed me. It makes things very complicated for my team now. I'm not sure what the ramifications will be now that I turned her down. I'm hoping she will still be OK working with the others, I'll just be keeping my distance." Holly's face held shock; she had never imagined someone would offer that or practically jump him.

"Why would she assume you wanted that?" Holly's voice held confusion; she hoped he hadn't been soliciting such activities.

"She apparently overheard Kasumi and I speaking. It was when Kasumi offered to pay me back. She didn't hear the whole conversation though. Kasumi had offered to sleep with me for the trouble she caused but I had refused her offer. Honestly it's getting very annoying at this point. I'm sure Rika won't be the last, it's something I've had to deal with for a while now." Genki sounded exasperated; Holly now understood he hadn't slept with any of them. They were bothering him with how they were acting though. *_ I'm a little surprised… a lot of men would have taken advantage of that… but then he has never been like most others._ *

"I'm assuming this is why you've remained single all this time?"

"It's one of the reasons yes… not the only one." her brow furrowed as she tried to piece together what he told her. * _Well it makes sense, and he is very smart when it comes to these things. But what other reasons could he have… don't tell me he's still hung up on me? I thought we agreed to move on… though can I really talk when I'm single? _*

"Genki… what other reasons are there for you being single?" Genki shook his head now; he pulled his hand away and stood up walking to the sink. He had grabbed the tea pot on his way and was refilling it.

"It doesn't matter Holly. This isn't your burden to bear; you have your own problems to deal with when it comes to that." The fact that he was refusing to talk to her about this startled her. She had never seen him reject her help in this way. * _He is still hurting…_ * Genki placed the pot on his stove and turned it on. Holly looked confused when he turned around. "It has a striker built in to light the gas." was all he said. She sighed, deciding to change the subject for a while. Perhaps once he calmed down she could speak more about this with him.

"Genki I need to cleanse your wound or it won't heal properly."

"I know." He brought a bowl of warm water from the tap to the table with a cloth. Holly nodded her understanding the moved to grab his medical kit. Genki took his seat again, knowing he'd need it while he dealt with his emotions. He hated shutting her out but she had been clear before that she wouldn't budge on her decision. Holly disinfected her hands then slowly began unwrapping his bandage. When she finished she heard him hiss in pain and could see his hand clenching on the table. She carefully picked up the cloth soaked in warm water and began to clean his wound. He couldn't help the groan of pain that came from him; this pain was beyond anything he had dealt with before. Holly was as careful as she could be but focused on cleansing his wound. She knew it had to be done otherwise it wouldn't heal right. Genki somehow managed to remain silent for the most part during the ordeal. Holly patted his wound dry and gave him a few minutes before she'd add the ointment.

"Genki do you know if this ointment has a pain reliever in it?" it took him a moment to recover enough to respond.

"To my knowledge it only relieves the burning sensation. Don't worry I have a pill I can take to relieve the rest." Holly carefully applied the ointment, knowing this was extremely painful for him. It was hard for her to see him in this much pain, especially with how severe his wound was. After she finished she cleaned her hands while he dealt with his pain. It seemed to take him awhile to recover, when he finally opened his eyes he could see how worried she was about him.

"Genki… Are you sure a doctor shouldn't be attending your wound? I didn't even realize how severe it truly was until after I cleaned it."

"I'm sure Holly. I asked the doctor at the hospital and he said it'd be fine if I take care of it at home. He told me it'd look really bad for a while, it'll probably leave a nasty scar as well."

"I can see it leaving a scar, yes. It's too large to heal without scarring." She had prepped up the bandage as they spoke and was now wrapping his arm. She remained as gentle as she could but kept the bandage firm in her hands. Once done she put the items back in his kit.

* * *

Genki walked to a cupboard and grabbed a small bottle out of it. Opening it he took two pills out of it; he then threw them in his mouth and downed them with a glass of water. He placed the bottle back in the cupboard before grabbing the tea pot off of the stove. He brought it over to the table and poured them both another cup. "That was your pain medication?"

"Yeah, it'll take it a little while to kick in. It seems to work though." Holly took a seat again. Genki decided to see what kind of blade Holly preferred.

"As far as getting you a new blade goes I'll need to know if you want the same style of blade again or one more akin to your fathers blade." Holly looked at him confused,

"Wouldn't something like my fathers be more expensive?"

"I doubt it, unless it has the ornamentation your father's does. I know you usually don't like anything that flashy though." Holly smiled,

"I would prefer a curved blade like his yes."

"Alright I'll make sure we get you one then. Was that style of handle ok or do you prefer the style the broken blade has?"

"The grip on my blade has always felt better." He nodded,

"Alright, we'll go with that hilt then." She noticed that he seemed to be trying to distract himself for the pain. Deciding to give him another distraction she brought up a new topic.

"Genki, you mentioned before that you might be able to tell us more about the ancient ruins?"

"Yeah I might be able to; I need to be able to see them to know more about them."

"You could always join Colt and I on an expedition some time. I know she'd love the help in understanding the ancient's technology." He smiled,

"I will have to do that sometime though I'd like to give her time to deal with things first." Holly nodded in understanding of what he meant.

"You're still planning on coming to the festival right?"

"I am yes, and before you ask, yes I'm still bringing her that gift. I don't go back on my word, you know that." Holly smiled,

"Yes, I know and I'm glad you still have it in you to do this." Genki was about to ask why when his phone went off. He glanced to where it was charging, standing he went over to it. His intention was to silence the call but the number caught his attention.

"What the hell? Why is she calling at this time of night?"

"Who?"

"My sister…" He decided to answer it, hoping no one had died or anything. He glanced at Holly, she was nodding to him and telling him to answer it.

_["Yeah what is it sis?"]_

_["Well that's a rude way to answer your phone."]_

_["Look I have company over, can we make this quick."]_ He heard her sigh,

_["Genki something is up with mom, I don't know if you have talked to her recently but she's upset over something. She refuses to talk to me or Kai. We both tried. Dad's still out of town and I can't get him on the phone."] _Genki had received a text form his father earlier that night so he knew he was fine. His mother hadn't sent him anything in a week though. Now that he thought of it, she had been acting odd lately.

_["I'll call her, dad's fine he texted me a few hours ago. He's probably just sleeping. Besides it's not like you usually call unless you want something."]_

_["Shut it! I'm not that bad. Seriously I'm trying to help; I just don't have much time. Things are rough now."]_ He rolled his eyes, _["I don't understand why she won't talk to me about anything anymore. It's like she hates me or something."]_ Genki's expression changed just then, Holly could tell whatever was being said was riling him back up.

_["Are you fucking serious right now? You don't know why?"]_ Genki was gritting his teeth trying not to raise his voice.

_["Yes I'm serious."]_

_["You have never been there for her! You never answer her calls! Why would she open up to you?" ]_

_["Cause I'm her daughter that's why. She should tell me things so I can help too. You don't get to be the hero all the time."]_

_["This isn't about being a 'hero' sis. It's about whom she feels comfortable talking to."]_

_["Yeah but you're a guy."]_

_["So what?"]_

_["Somethings guys just don't get. She really needs a woman to talk to. I'm a well-seasoned lady I think I can handle anything she has going."] _

It was at this point Genki lost it, his anger had been building this whole time and he could take no more. He slammed his fist into the counter startling Holly who was now concerned about his wound. He had just done that stunt with his injured arm. But what had shocked her more was the anger in his eyes and face. What had his sister done to anger him so? * _I haven't seen him this angry in a long time. What did she say to him?_ *

_["What would a whore like you know about being a lady?! You have never been there for mom, not even when she needed you most! She no longer trusts you, especially after all the promises you have broken and the things you said to her!"]_ Genki's voice was raised a lot louder then he normally would speak to anyone. He could hear her gasp and sputter on the other side of the line. _["I've had enough of your feigned innocence. You think I don't know about all the sleeping around you've been doing? You think I don't know about the crimes you've been committing?! You are a fool if you think the rest of us are OK with what you have done!"]_ Genki gritted his teeth and closed his eyes a moment trying to regain his composure.

_["Brother… I…"]_

_["Enough lies Rei"]_ she seemed to sigh in defeat now. _["I will speak with mom in the morning… don't call me again until you're ready to tell the truth."]_ With that he hung up on her, he was still fuming but he had reigned it in a bit. His arm hurt pretty bad after punch the counter top but he would ignore that. He placed his phone back on the charge and leaned on the counter, his head on his hands as he tried to deal with everything that just happened.

Holly rose and walked over to him, she didn't say a word she just gently began to rub his back, hoping to sooth him in some way. It took a few minutes before he was able to respond.

"Thank you Holly. I'm sorry about that… my sister is the problem child of the family… we don't have a good relationship." His voice was soft, but she heard it.

"It's ok Genki… if I'm in the way..." she didn't get to finish that sentence before he turned to her,

"No, you're not interfering in anything, and you're certainly not in the way." He held her gaze; she could see he was firm on this topic. "I'm glad you came here, Holly. I know it seems like a rough night for me, but I do enjoy you're company I always have." Holly could see he meant every word he said and smiled in response.

"I'm glad I can help you in some way. You've done so much for us."

"You don't need to feel that you have to pay me back. I have never asked for or wanted anything in return."

"I know but, like you, I enjoy helping others." He nodded; he seemed to be lost in thought a moment before he spoke again.

"I don't want to tie up your day with my nonsense…" he trailed off, Holly smiled knowingly; this was his way of asking for help. He didn't want to burden her it was obvious.

"My day is free today; I took care of most of my chores yesterday. There's no reason for you to worry about that." He gave her a suspicious look for a moment then nodded.

"Then if you don't mind, why don't we head into the living room and I'll tell you what that was all about. I know you are worried about me… and honestly I could use the company right now."

"I'll gladly listen if you need to talk it out Genki. You know that. It's never a burden for me to help you with your problems." he smiled gently then moved to show her into the living room. He hissed slightly when he moved his left arm but seemed to ignore it after the initial movement he made. Holly wondered if he had re injured himself after punching the counter top like that, but decided not to bring it up at the moment. She had seen the anger in his eyes still, whatever was said on the phone had him extremely upset again. * _Well I doubt I'll be able to fish the other thing I wanted to talk to him about out of him today. He is way too high strung now. Though I must say I never imagined he would have such a strained relationship with his sister. I wonder if that's why he never mentioned her or his brother before…_ * She followed him to the living room ready to help him bare his burdens.

_AAN: I decided to break this giant chapter up, next part should be up soon. Enjoy Guys!_


	3. Forging Discoveries

_AAN: Here's the second part of the monster 30+ page chapter. There's a bit more angst in this chapter but also more back ground on Genki. _

**Forging Discoveries**

Holly took a seat on the sofa next to him. She knew he would need some comfort right now. He hadn't said it but she had seen a tinge of sadness in his eyes as they spoke earlier. Holly placed a hand gently over his clenched fist; he looked over at her startled but then relaxed when she smiled to him. "Take your time, there's no rush." she spoke softly, knowing he wasn't sure how to tell her what was going on. She had been able to read him extremely well for a while now. In fact he seemed to do the same thing to her to a lesser extent.

"My sister, Rei, has always been the black sheep of the family. She was always in trouble growing up, always doing something she knew she wasn't supposed to be doing; always pushing boundaries as far as they could go. She's always been very selfish, I'm not sure if she even realizes just how bad she is about that." He sighed, "Her call was fine at first; she's worried about our mom. Apparently mom's upset about something, or at least Rei believes she is. Not that she knows our mom all that well. I told her I will call in the morning and see if she's alright. Mom has been acting a little… off this week but I didn't think anything of it really." He glanced to Holly seeing her concern. "If it had remained at just that the call would have ended on a better note but Rei found a way to make it about herself again. She went on a long monologue lamenting that mom won't talk to her about important things and that I shouldn't always be the 'hero' each time. She also said something about mom really needs another woman to talk to and not just me. That I couldn't understand what a woman goes through." he rolled his eyes at this comment, though it held a grain of truth it wasn't really that true for him in practiced experience. "Needless to say I lost my temper when she called herself a well-seasoned lady who can handle anything mom could possibly have going on." Holly raised a brow at that phrasing; she knew all too well that those that referred to themselves as ladies usually were anything but a lady.

"Why was that the last straw?" she promoted him when he seemed to stop talking. She heard him sigh,

"She is anything but a lady that's why. She's a whore that will sleep with any guy to get what she wants. She's always used her good looks like that. She's also a thief; I know she's been caught twice stealing from stores. Based on who she is currently hanging with… I'm betting she's using drugs or some other illegal substances as well. But I have no proof of that; it's only a hunch on my part." He closed his eyes, he felt Holly's thumb caressing the back of his hand. "She's stolen from her own family as well. Broken so many promises that we can't even keep track anymore." he shook his head, "She had the gall to ask why mom wouldn't confide in her. I told her because she wasn't there when mom needed her most. She never has been, if she contacts us it's because she wants something NOT because she cares. She claims now that she wants to change. I instructed her to prove it, that if she calls me again it better be to tell the truth about what has been going on. I doubt she'll call, she was after something again… this isn't her first time pretending to change." he didn't open his eyes but he knew Holly was worried about him. "My family is full of drama Holly, it's something I have to live with whether I want to or not. I just do what I can to help my parents."

"What about your brother?"

"Kai tends to try to stay out of any drama that happens. He has some… mental issues that he has to deal with. I can't say as I blame him all things considered but it would be nice if he took some interest in what was happening."

"Mental issues?" Genki finally looked over at her; he could see her confusion and worry.

"He has anxiety disorder. He basically can't handle stressful situations. He will either totally freak out and have a panic attack or pass out if its stressful enough." he could see a shift in her eyes, "he tends to do a lot of stress management as a result, trying to stay away from stressful situations as much as possible. He does see a doctor about it, though I'm not sure what they ultimately decided on as a treatment."

"I think I understand Genki, we don't really know much about this kind of thing in my world. But if I got this correctly he's a lot like your coworker with PTSD right? Something triggers it, in this case stress and he has mental break down over it?"

"That's correct Holly." * _I knew you were smart, I doubt the others would understand any of this._ *

"Genki… earlier what did you mean by "when your mother needed her most"?" She saw his gaze shift again, he seemed unsure of talking to her about this. "If it's too sensitive you don't have to answer." He chuckled,

"Perceptive as always Holly…" He seemed to be thinking now; Holly waited to see what his answer would be. "She had a miscarriage awhile back… that's when mom needed us most. My brother at least tried to be there, mom avoids burdening him as much as she can. My sister though… she can be a callus bitch when she wants to be… I think her words hurt mom more than the loss of the child did. I know dad wanted to throttle her for what she said. I had to physically hold him back… I have never seen him that angry." Holly's eyes showed sympathy in them, she was extremely attentive and was weighing her words carefully knowing full well this was a very sensitive subject. It hadn't gotten past her how harsh Genki's words towards his sister were. He never spoke that way about anyone else.

"What did your sister say to her?"

"She told mom that she was glad for it…. That we didn't need any more family members. She also joked that mom was too old to be having kids anyway." Genki had gritted his teeth, as he spoke it was obvious this had hurt him as well. Holly decided he needed more than just a comforting touch now, she moved to pull him into her arms. He didn't resist at all, he buried his face in her shoulder as he held onto her. Holly was thinking very carefully about how to approach this now. She was well aware of the pain he was feeling and could only imagine the betrayal and loss his mother had felt. She just held him as he used her as his refuge for a while. When he seemed to relax a bit in her arms she spoke again.

"Genki I won't pretend to know what you or your mother are going through. I can't imagine such pain, but I do understand the betrayal you must have felt at that moment. It seems to me your sister doesn't deserve your forgiveness at this point and I understand your anger towards her. I can't fault you for wanting nothing to do with her after what she has done." it took him a moment to respond,

"I appreciate you listening Holly, I know a lot of this must be very foreign to you."

"I understand most of it actually. I know we don't have the same technology but that doesn't mean we don't have people like that in my world." she felt him nod,

"I suppose that type of person is in every world."

"They are unfortunately." she closed her eyes and concentrated. Her power allowed her to understand the pain of others and though she rarely used it, she could feel his pain. At the same time, she projected her love and understanding into him. Genki immediately realized these feelings were coming from her; he didn't pull away or reject her gift though. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and embraced what she was doing. * _So she's an empath? I never would have imagined her power with the stones was a psychic ability. Though I suppose we never really investigated that when we were younger. I wonder if that's how she knows when I need to talk to her? Or perhaps she's just good at reading me._* He relaxed with her, she only projected her emotions for a few minutes to help sooth him.

* * *

Once she finished she could sense he had relaxed some. He didn't seem to want to move from his spot and Holly was content to hold him for the moment. Genki chuckled softly,

"I never realized you had empathic abilities, when did you learn to use those?" The fact that he had given a name to her abilities was mildly surprising to her.

"I realized I could do this a few years ago, I first discovered it while trying to help Granity. I don't use it often." He smiled,

"So you finally bonded with her huh?"

"Yes… in more ways than one, though I never expected to be that intimate with her." Holly was blushing heavily. Though he couldn't see her face he felt her heart rate increase and her muscles tense slightly. He pulled back to confirm his suspicions and found she was looking quite embarrassed.

"It's OK, I think she needed that. I know she's had trouble trusting humans ever since her prior trainer took advantage of her." Holly's eyes widened,

"You knew about that?"

"I read between the lines. I realized what she had told me, a long time ago, when I got older. I suspect she was sexually abused by him, hence why she had such a hatred for humans." He saw Holly's gaze shift, "If she could trust you that way then it's a good thing. It means she is healing." Holly's blush returned full force at the implications of that statement. He smiled to her,

"Genki… I…" he pulled her into his arms,

"It's fine Holly. I'm glad you bonded with her, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about." Holly hid her face in his chest; she was silent for a long time before she found her voice again. Genki had merely held her while she recovered.

"Genki… no one else knows what we did that night. The others only know that I helped her emotionally…"

"Don't worry about it; your secret is safe with me. I hadn't realized it was such a sensitive a topic." his voice was soft; he knew she could hear him.

"I… I've never been comfortable talking about that kind of thing. It's something very private for me. I'm not sure how Granity feels about it but I do know she has mentioned bonding with you as well in passing." Genki was surprised at that, he hadn't imagined she would ever trust a guy again.

"Holly are you sure she said that?"

"Yes, we spoke of it a little while ago actually. She wants both of us to be her trainers." Holly pulled back to see his expression, she could tell he'd been caught off guard.

"I don't normally do that, but I suppose if that's what she really wants, I can make an exception. I'm just worried she might be pushing herself; I honestly never thought she'd want to bond with a male trainer. Not after what has happened to her." his gaze shifted to meet hers, she could see he was worried.

"I understand your concern but she is ready for it Genki… She's allowed me to use my abilities to help her. It was a little touch and go at first but she decided to trust me after… I let myself be vulnerable to her." Genki saw the embarrassment in her eyes and understood what that meant.

"So how did you accidentally discover your ability?" he hoped a shift in topic might help her with the embarrassment she was feeling.

"I was trying to help her when she had a mental break down… Some monster managed to get under her skin with some teasing remarks. We didn't realize till she broke a tree in half that it had bothered her so much. She took off after that display of anger; when I found her again she was shaking uncontrollably, unwilling to cry even though she needed to. While I was trying to convince her to let the emotions go I discovered I could feel what she was going through. I'm not sure if it was my desperation to help her or something about her own abilities interacting with mine but when I pulled her into an embrace my powers kicked in. I was able to bear a good brunt of the pain for her and help her slowly release it. It took hours to calm her down." Holly's eyes looked distant as she spoke,

"I can imagine she was holding everything back. That's a lot to work through all at once."

"It was yes… I think we both we out of tears and completely exhausted by the end of it. We didn't… bond intimately that night but we did emotionally. She wasn't sure how to feel about my abilities but when she realized I hadn't known of their existence; well, she said she couldn't stay mad at me." She smiled softly at the fond memory.

"I imagine it took more than one time to get her feeling better about things." Holly nodded,

"Yes, she had held onto so many of those negative emotions that working through them wasn't going to happen in one sitting. That first night was just her releasing the over flowing stuff that she couldn't bear any longer." Genki nodded his understanding,

"I had always wondered if that might happen. Her stoic behavior was nothing like other pixies, and though she's always been reserved even I could sense there was something more wrong. Even when I tried to help her when she got injured, shortly after we first met her, she was very adamant that I not touch her. It took a lot of convincing for me to be able to help her walk on her injured ankle. I hadn't totally understood it at the time, I was too young I think but remembering it later… there were clear signs of abuse there. Her posture was always defensive around me, she never relaxed; not once." Holly had been listening carefully; they hadn't spoken of what had transpired while he and Pixie were alone. She knew they had a good relationship now but at the time it had been rocky to say the least. Pixie had certainly believed in him, and probably trusted him to an extent. Perhaps she soon realized he was too young for that sort of behavior.

"I wasn't aware of your take on things but it makes sense that you understood her later. She had spoken to me about her time with you in passing but never about specifics. She did say that she learned to trust again because she sensed your willingness to help and you never tried to touch her inappropriately." he chuckled,

"Even if I had the interest back then I _**did not**_ have a death wish." he heard her giggle a little, "Though I would never think of abusing my position that way. It's not who I am."

"You made that obvious already I think, not just with her but with those women you work with. They offered themselves to you and you didn't take advantage of that. It speaks volumes about your character and morals." He smiled to her,

"Holly, I will speak with Granity in private later. I won't tell her that I know about your bonding but I will say that you tipped me off to come talk to her. I will let her guide our discussion, I know you could feel that she was ready but I want to make sure she is. The last thing I want to do is hurt her."

"I would appreciate you not telling her about that… I have a hard enough time talking about it already." Holly's face lit with a blush, "I am wondering about something though."

"Oh?" He looked on curiously,

"You said before 'that you normally don't do that but would make an exception for her'. What did you mean by that?" Genki smiled softly and closed his eyes;

"I swear nothing gets past you in a conversation, even things left unsaid." he chuckled, "what I meant was that I normally don't… get that intimate with others. I have had partners before, I won't lie to you about that, but it's rare that I feel comfortable enough to do so. I've always been…." He paused thinking how to phrase things, "...a bit picky about who gets to see that side of me. I tend to feel differently about that kind of bond then most guys. I don't want sex just for the pleasure of it. To me that's meaningless, I can get pleasure from other sources if that's what I want. For me it needs to have more meaning behind it then just that." When he opened his eyes again to see how she reacted he could tell she was shocked by his words. He hadn't ever told her about his relationships, not since they had their bitter dispute years ago. She had made it clear that he needed to move on; he had tried to do so but never felt the need to talk to her about who he was seeing. It took her a moment to recover, Genki waited to see how she'd deal with that news. He suspected she might have been intimate with some guy as well but wasn't willing to ask. If she brought it up, it'd be of her own doing.

"I wasn't even aware you were with anyone…"

"I never bothered mentioning it." his voice was neutral making it hard for her to read what he was feeling. She thought of using her abilities but decided against it. * _That'd be an abuse of my power._ *

"I hope those relationships were at least productive and that you were… careful about things." He met her gaze as she tested him. He then shrugged,

"I'm not sure how productive they were, they certainly didn't go how I have hoped they would. But I am always careful Holly." He was refusing to show emotion right now as he was testing her in return. He wanted to see what her reaction was to all this. He knew it was bugging her,

"I didn't think you were foolish Genki." she had closed her eyes, "I'm sorry they didn't go as well as you had hoped." She waited a moment, "though perhaps it served as a learning experience rather than anything else." He smirked, * _she's picking her words so very carefully now. It is bothering her…._ *

"I learned a great deal from them both; I'm still friends with one of them actually. She's provided a lot of good advice over the years. I've always believed even failed relationships have something to offer in regards to lessons." He deliberately phrased it this way to see if she would probe further, yes he was baiting her. He suspected she hadn't been able to move on just as he hadn't. Holly was silent for a while, just mulling over what he had just said. * _So he's not with them anymore? Makes sense considering his coworkers tried to get him into bed with them. Who has he been seeing about advice though? I wasn't aware of any other females he confided in besides me. _* She sighed heavily * _seriously I need to stop feeling so jealous… we were supposed to move on and yet…_ *

"Genki I would assume you weren't with either woman long term by what you have said?"

"Correct."

"Why bed them then?" Her question was a little different then he had anticipated. He found his words carefully.

"In both cases I happened to bond with them faster than normal. We had a lot of shared interests and hobbies. It was due to that that we became intimate sooner. I was with them for a while before we broke up actually, so it wasn't just a one night stand thing if that was your concern." He kept his voice even and soft,

"No… I didn't think you were doing… one night stands. That's not you. Though I can see now why you lectured Colt the way you did…" He chuckled at her comment.

"Experience can be a great teacher."

"I can't argue with you there. You said you're still friends with one of them? Have things been alright since you broke up with her?"

"Yes, she was the one who suggested we remain friends. She's always thought of me as family, and though we had a bit of a rough patch she has always been there for me. I trust her almost as much as I do you." this caught Holly's attention; she could see an earnest look in his eyes now. She also realized something else just then * _He's teasing me… _* her eyebrow rose, as she gave him a disbelieving look.

"What do you mean by 'almost as much as you trust me'?" He smiled,

"There are things I won't ever go to her for Holly." Her eyes searched his a moment before she sighed,

"It's not nice of you to tease me so much you know." He laughed,

"It was not my intent to tease Holly." her eyes locked with his again, her gaze was very intense now. * _perhaps I went a little overboard..._ *

"Then what was your intent?"

"My intent was to be honest with you about my relationships. Though I will say I was trying to be… careful with how I approached it." Her gaze challenged his again, he didn't back down though. After a few more minutes she finally looked away.

"You thought I would be jealous?"

"Not necessarily jealous, but you are… a bit touchy with this kind of thing." Holly remained silent for a while just thinking things over. Genki decided to leave her be for the moment. He knew she wasn't happy with him right now, he had been teasing her slightly but it was more of a test on his part. He wasn't stupid enough to believe she had been able to move on. She was still single after all, something extremely unusual for her age in the monster world. He smiled, and then leaned his head against hers gently. He knew it would get her attention; he was only affectionate with her like this when she allowed it.

"Genki… I'm sorry if you believe I can't handle details about relationships… That's not entirely true. I have a lot of knowledge on such things. I may not be comfortable discussing it but I can handle it." He quirked a brow at that response, not what he had expected at all then snorted,

"There's no reason for you to apologize Holly."

"There is if you felt you couldn't come to me for something."

"Holly… that's not…"

"Then what is it?" He sighed; she pulled away from him giving him a look that screamed 'I'm waiting'.

"Look you are very intelligent Holly but sometimes things here are a bit beyond your understanding. Most of what I talk to Akame about are things that would be entirely out of your range of understanding. A lot of it is very... technical to say the least." He realized after he had said Akame's name that Holly might get even more riled up now. Holly's eyes widened in surprise,

"So your blacksmith friend is…"

"Was one of those I dated, yes." He corrected her, "That was over 2 years ago Holly; besides Akame is seeing someone else now." Holly seemed shocked for a moment before she recovered,

"What did you mean 'by beyond my understanding'?" He sighed again mulling over his words,

"You have a good range of practical knowledge but finer details of cultural knowledge you don't have. My country tends to…. Over complicate matters a lot. Akame has always been extremely good with the finer details of how to address matters in that regard."

"So it was something specific to this culture then?"

"Yes, and if I had gotten it wrong on the formal side I might had had one hell of a time recovering from such a faux pas." Holly seemed to relax a little,

"I take it her new relationship doesn't bother you then?"

"Not at all, even if it was a little surprising." He chuckled,

"Surprising how?"

"Let's just say I wasn't expecting her to be bisexual." He gave her a wink which made her flush slightly,

"So she's with a woman then?"

"Her partner at the forge actually; and no her partner doesn't care that I ask her advice, and yes she is aware I'm an ex-boyfriend. We have made no secret of our relationship."

* * *

Holly was silent for a bit just thinking things over. She wasn't sure what to say to him about his relationships, and she didn't feel like sharing her own.

* _Though I probably should be honest with him… _* "Genki you said you're going to the forge tomorrow right?"

"Yeah that was my plan."

"Would you mind if I came along?" He gave her a look of suspicion which made her explain, "I'd like to meet your smith friend so I can tell her any changes I might have for the blade. My father's blade doesn't have a normal curve to it and its balance is different than most blades its size." Genki had to admit he had never wielded the blade so he wouldn't know such information.

"If you think it'll help then you are welcome to come. I just didn't think you'd want to stay that long is all. Plus I still need to get some sleep…" She smiled then sighed heavily,

"Honestly, it took everything I had to go through the portal. I didn't sleep at all last night…"

"You were terrified…" his voice was soft, "I was wondering about that… is the fear still there?" she could hear the concern permeating his voice. It was obvious he cared; probably more than anyone else she had ever met. She gave him a sad smile then nodded,

"Unfortunately, yes it's still there. It's a bit stronger actually, the falling sensation…"

"It triggered your fear of heights?"

"Yeah…" Genki closed his eyes thinking of how to deal with this, *_ I was worried about this happening. Well she'll need some rest before she can try to jump again. There has to be a way to reduce the fear for her… _* When he opened his eyes he noticed Holly seemed lost in thought.

"Holly, would you share your fear with me? I want to help you but I need to feel it to know how to help you with it." Holly looked over at him caught off guard, she stared at him a moment.

"Genki… Are you sure?" He nodded, "Alright…" He smiled; Holly reached over and placed her hand on his chest. Closing her eyes she focused on her fear then projected it to him. She could hear by his gasp that he was feeling it. Genki hadn't expected it to be this intense, * _Damn this is bad… It's going to take a lot for her to push this down. I can't do much with the falling sensation problem but if we can get her over one of her fears maybe she can fight the other one? _*

"It is always this intense or does it get worse just before you jump?"

"It's worse before I jump." He mulled things over; He doubted she could wrangle it even with rest. "Holly while you're power is active can I project back to you?"

"Yes but you'd need to place your hand on me." Genki opened his eyes a moment; he placed his hand carefully on her chest above her breast. He saw as faint blush appear and felt her embarrassment; ignoring that he closed his eyes.

"I'm going to show you something that I do with my fear. I'll project it into you using your own fear."

"Alright." Holly felt Genki projecting back, as soon as he was sure she felt him he showed her how he would metaphorically grab his fear; in this case hers, and forcefully push it down. It didn't eliminate it but it did make it smaller and less intense. After he finished he removed his hand from her chest as Holly gave him a look of intrigue. "How did you do that? I've tried pushing it away and it never leaves like that." He smiled,

"Holly, I use my mind to force my emotions back inline. Fear is only an issue if you allow it to be. Part of the reason the portal doesn't worry me is I know here" He tapped on his head, "That it's safe. I've made the journey with no problem hundreds of times. It always acts the same each time." He smiled as she seemed confused, "If you think about your fears rationally you can force them out of your way."

"I'm not sure if I can…" He chuckled,

"Holly you are stubborn enough to not let this beat you. You can do this." He pulled her into an embrace, "I wouldn't have let you make the jump if I believed it would hurt you in anyway." He felt her nod, "Keep in mind you're not actually falling. The portal is only pulling you along." He felt her hold onto him.

"Genki… can I rest here before I try again?"

"Of course, I know you need rest Holly. You're welcome to rest here and join me at the forge tomorrow. We'll conquer your fear later when you feel you can face it again." he smiled, "if you need I can jump back with you so you won't have to do it alone."

"That would entirely defeat the purpose of why I came here…"

"Perhaps, but I would rather help you than worry about my arm." He heard her sigh, eventually she pulled back and he let her go.

"I will consider it. But I want to do this on my own." He could see her stubborn side kicking in, he just smiled to her.

"That's fine Holly." he waited a moment before asking his next question. "What you are planning on telling the rest of the gang?" She sighed heavily her shoulders slumping,

"The truth I guess…"

"Why not tell Tiger and Granity. I'm sure they can cover for you." She glanced over at him then nodded,

"I'm sure they can. Still this is embarrassing." He chuckled; he placed his hand on hers.

"Holly, we all have weaknesses, we just do what we can. I'm sure once you have some rest you'll be fine. It's been a trying night after all." She nodded reluctantly, she was emotionally drained after her own break down and helping him with his pain.

* * *

Holly rose and walked out to the kitchen, turning on the mic she decided to get this over with.

"Hey Tiger you there?" it took a moment for an answer to come.

"I'm here Holly."

"Can you get Granity? I need to speak with you both about something in private."

"Yeah give me a second."

"Holly is everything alright?" Suezo asked, he sounded sheepish. Genki was snickering behind her from how he was talking to her. Holly rolled her eyes,

"Yeah, I'm fine I just wanted to run something by them really quick." Holly waited as she heard some sounds and what seemed like Granity yelling 'out' at Suezo.

"OK Holly we are alone, what did you need?" Holly sighed,

"There are two things I wanted to discuss with you. The first is that Genki has told me a bit more about his smith friend, I believe I should probably go speak with her since I'm the only one besides my father that knows the balance of his blade."

"Genki doesn't mind you going with him?" Tiger asked,

"No he doesn't mind."

"Doesn't he have to sleep soon?" Granity asked, making Holly nervous.

"He does yes, but that shouldn't be an issue. Which leads me to my next topic."

"Let me guess, you didn't sleep well and you can't muster the courage to jump back across right now?" Tiger stated with a smirk that Holly could hear. Holly sighed,

"Yes Tiger… I'm exhausted… I don't think I could handle the jump back right now. Genki has a spare room I can stay in and rest up. My plan was to rest and go with him to see his friend. Once we are done with that I should be able to jump back across."

"Then you need us to cover for you?" Granity asked,

"Granity you know how Suezo is. I just don't want him to flip out and do anything stupid. I have enough of an issue just being alone at times." Genki keyed up on this, * _He is seriously that bad? How on earth is she supposed to even try and have a normal life? Maybe it's time Suezo and I have a word. _* Genki resolved to deal with the lecherous eyestalk the next chance he got.

"Yeah I can see him doing something…" Tiger said grudgingly knowing how bad Suezo could get. He had to force Suezo to leave Holly be on more than one occasion.

"We will handle him. Is Genki in the room?" Genki walked over in range,

"I am Granity what is it?"

"I wanted to speak with you alone. Would it be ok if I made a brief jump across tomorrow before Holly returns?" Genki raised a brow at that and glanced at Holly who looked startled.

"I don't see why you can't; can I ask the nature of this discussion?"

"I'd rather it stay between us."

"Alright, I will see you tomorrow then."

"Holly, make sure you rest up this time. Don't make me drag you back." Granity taunted humorously.

"I will Granity, don't worry."

"You both have a good night, we'll handle the others." With that the line cut off and Genki flipped the mic off.

* * *

He glanced to Holly to see worry etched onto her face.

"Genki are you sure Granity will be alright?"

"Out of all the monsters she is the closest to human, if anything the portal might just turn her into a human when she comes across. It's my working theory that is what the portal will do."

"But will she go back to normal on return?"

"She should yes. I don't believe the portal hurts anyone Holly. I believe it has the ability to change things if they don't match the world. Out of all the monsters Granity is who I would have chosen to try it first. She has the least amount of risk." Holly considered this for a bit; "you know why she's coming over right?" she looked up at him startled.

"To talk to you about being her trainer?"

"Yes but it's not the only reason. She's coming here to make sure you can get home." Holly sighed at this and looked away,

"I really wish she let me do this on my own."

"She will, I believe she wants to make sure you make it back. But I think if you can do it one your own she will let you. She's not the type to interfere if you are trying to overcome something. She knows this is important to you, but she also realizes you are struggling." Genki lifted her gaze to meet his own, "You know she loves you and just wants to help Holly." Holly's eyes widened a moment and she blushed furiously. * _Maybe she is fully Bisexual. Wasn't expecting that reaction..._ * Holly could see what he meant but his words had a double meaning, Holly shook off her embarrassment before replying to him.

"I know she loves me Genki. I was just hoping to do it myself without help for once. It makes me feel useless that I can't even face this alone." Her words made his heartache,

"Holly, everything comes with time and experience. You only just started facing things head on. It will take some time for you to be able to push this aside and get over it. I certainly didn't do that when I first started dealing with my fears, it took me years to master that trick I showed you. Even now there are times I fail. I just don't give up." Holly looked at him with a strange mix of shock and wonder on her face. She hadn't thought about how long he had been working through his fears only that he seemed to be able to face them just fine.

"Genki… if you don't mind my asking, what are some of your fears?" His brow rose as he heard her question, he then closed his eyes. * _I can't tell her the strongest one… but I can say one of the others. _*

"As childish as it may be, I was very afraid of the dark for an extremely long time." Holly was startled by that answer, she hadn't been expecting that. He never seemed afraid of anything let alone the dark.

"How did you overcome it?"

"It took years, I slowly over came it as I forced myself to be exposed to it. Same thing happened with my arachnophobia."

"What's that?"

"Fear of spiders." She looked confused,

"I actually made myself pick up and handle spiders to get over it. One of those I held was a tarantula; they are about the size of your hand. Not dangerous mind you but they can certainly hurt if they decide to bite." Holly shivered at that thought,

"I don't think I would want to handle one of those…" He chuckled,

"I didn't think you would." He smiled then walked to the doorway, "I'll show you to where you can rest Holly; you look exhausted." She smiled to him following his lead upstairs.

"Thank you Genki." he returned her smile, Soon they came to a doorway not far from the stairwell.

"Here you go; I'll wake you later if you don't get up before me. If you do wake before me feel free to find something to eat. Most of the kitchen isn't hard to navigate." She smiled and nodded,

"Thank you Genki, good night."

"Good Night Holly, sweet dreams." He smiled and turned to walk down the hall. She saw him enter a room at the end of the hall and assumed it must be his. She peeked in the room next door to hers and realized it was a bathroom if she needed it. With a confident smile she walked back into the guest room, closing the door she removed her vest, tunic, and boots before she climbed into bed. * _Wow this is extremely nice… wasn't expecting it to be this soft. I'm just glad he understood my fear and is being patient. Hopefully all goes well tomorrow._ *

Genki too was in bed after changing, he had a very long day and it was extremely emotionally taxing. * _I just wish I could be honest with her… but she told me not to bring the subject up again… _* he sighed, * _I just hope Akame doesn't cause issues… she tends to like to brag about my prowess with certain things. Holly is liable to be extremely uncomfortable if the conversation goes that way._ * He closed his eyes hoping that the morning would go better.

* * *

The next morning Holly found herself to be the first one awake; she realized by the light coming in the window that it must be early still. She relaxed awhile longer just thinking a few things over, she certainly felt better now. And though she hated to admit it, having Granity come over would help her a lot. * _I guess she understands me extremely well now that we bonded. I wish we had more time alone actually… but Suezo only lets me out of his sight with her because she's female. He doesn't think we are doing anything else… well that and he's afraid of Granity._ * She sweat dropped thinking about the time he was electrocuted by the pixie hybrid. * _Still I find it interesting the Genki didn't have any issue with my confession. In fact he seemed to encourage it. Maybe he thinks it's good for both of us? Either that or he has never had an issue with that type of thing. I mean his ex is dating a woman so why would he care? Speaking of… I wonder if she knows what he is refusing to tell me? _* Holly sighed just thinking about it, * _Seriously, what right do I have to pry? I know I want to help him… he's definitely hiding something but then so am I. I never told him when I was dating._* She snorted, * _It's amazing I was even able to date at all given the way Suezo is lately… I really need to deal with him… _* Holly let her eyes close as she relaxed, she enjoyed not having the lecherous eye stalk sneaking in her room or waking her up for breakfast. *_ Maybe I should visit more? Would exposing myself to the portal more help with my fear? From what Genki told me it might… Maybe Genki would let me be alone with Granity for a while…_ * Holly heard some movement now, listening closely she heard Genki walk by her room. He seemed to be heading downstairs to the kitchen. She heard the tap turn on and him open the cupboard. *_ Is his arm bothering him?_ * She assumed he was taking his pain pills. Rising she dressed and followed him out to the kitchen where he seemed to be trying wake himself up enough to make breakfast. Holly's face turned a nice cherry red as she realized he wasn't wearing his shirt, just a pair of shorts. Genki finally noticed her and an eyebrow was raised at her blush. He then went back to getting some pans and food out to make breakfast. Holly watched him as he worked, noting where everything was. She noticed his body had a few more scars then she had last known about, sighing inwardly at his recklessness she walked over to where he was.

"Do you want some help Genki?" He smiled,

"Sure Holly if you want to." He indicated for her to take a spot next to him at the stove. She did so and took over making some bacon from him. He meanwhile was making some eggs. He worked with her in silence for a few minutes; he seemed to need to concentrate on staying awake. Holly watched as he flipped the egg over using the pan and not a spatula. She herself couldn't do that though she had seen other people do it before.

"Genki, where'd you learn to do that?" He looked at her questioningly, "flipping something just using the pan I mean."

"Oh, my aunt taught me. My aunt is a chef at a restaurant; so I got to learn quite a few tricks from her when I spent the summer working there." He smiled as she nodded her understanding. He finished with the first egg and moved on to the second. Quickly he set up the coffee maker while the egg heated up and got it to start brewing. Holly watched clearly fascinated. She could tell by the smell that it was coffee, something she never drank as it was expensive.

* _He has a lot of expensive things actually… plenty of coffee from the looks of it and I see a salt grinder as well._ * Holly wasn't sure what to think as she realized he defiantly wasn't hurting for cash. * _is that why he helps us so much, because he has the means to do so?_ *

"Holly, why do you look like your contemplating life's meaning over there?" Holly looked over startled at him as he flipped the egg he was working on. Holly paid attention to her bacon and responded to his in query.

"I'm just thinking about how different our worlds are. Coffee is extremely expensive in my world. But I'm guessing that's not the case here?" Genki raised a brow at that unexpected question then went back to cooking.

"Yes and no, coffee can be expensive but only certain varieties. For the most part it's pretty affordable here. It doesn't cost me very much to get it, and I buy one of the better varieties." She paused a moment before asking about the other items.

"What about sugar and salt?" He knew where this was going,

"Both are mass produced, sugar is usually pulled from sugar cane or sugar beets. Pretty easy to come buy now days and salt is mined heavily, it is also not rare." Holly seemed to be in deep thought now; he let her contemplate things while he finished up. Holly pulled the bacon and let it drain before placing it on the plates. Once he was set he poured two cups of coffee. Once they were seated and ready to eat he broached the subject again. "Holly if something is rare in your world you can ask me to get it for you. It's not a problem. I know how expensive salt, sugar, and coffee are for you guys. I haven't forgotten all those arguments during our travels." She glanced over at him,

"I didn't think you would forget those arguments considering how heated a few got. Are you sure it wouldn't put a strain on you?"

"I'm sure Holly." She nodded

"Then I would be happy for the assistance." He grinned at this then went on to eat some of his meal. About then Raion came in meowing at him, He glanced down and smiled to his little kitty.

"Where have you been mister?" He got up from his seat as his kitty spoke to him some more. "Oh no you don't, you just go hide whole time company is here then expect food." He picked his kitty up who protest briefly before purring and nuzzling his owner. Holly found the sight touching, as Genki scratched under the cats chin. Holly was aware of most animals and that people had them as pets, but she hadn't expected Genki to have a pet. Genki smiled to her, "This is Raion he's a bit shy but usually very affectionate." Holly smiled as Genki brought the cat over, Raion tense a little. "Your fine, I want you to meet someone" he spoke to his cat then directed his next comment to Holly. "Put your hand out for him to sniff." Holly complied and waited to see what the cat did, Raion after a moment moved out curiously to smell her hand. After a moment he rubbed his face against her hand and Holly scratched him like Genki had just done. After a few minutes Raion glanced to Genki a meowed again. His owner chuckled and let him down, "Alright, let's get you your breakfast."

"He seems very loving."

"He is, he snuggles with me usually every night but last night he was nowhere to be found." Genki finished and Raion purred as he ate, leaving Genki to return to the table to eat.

Holly picked up her coffee and decided to try it for the first time. She noticed it was bitter yet had some smokey, earthy tones to it. It didn't taste like she expected, it was far better actually. Holly saw him smile, He was aware she had never had it before.

"Coffee to your liking Holly?" He saw her nod; he smiled as he returned to his meal. They ate in comfortable silence. Once they finished Genki placed his dish in the sink and poured himself another cup. He was mostly awake now but he knew if he wasn't fully awake Akame would catch him off guard.

"Are all coffees like that?"

"No, the cheap ones are extremely bitter. I generally steer clear of those." Holly noticed he was on his second cup,

"You need two to wake up?"

"Yeah, early mornings are rough on me." Holly finished hers feeling energized waiting for Genki to finish his. Once he did he excused himself to get dressed. While he was off in his room he also made a quick call to his mother. She unfortunately didn't answer so he left a message, figuring she was at work already.

* _Now I know why everyone speaks so highly of coffees effects. Though it seems someone can build up a resistance if Genki is any indication. _* Once Genki had returned he walked to the door and picked up his wallet and several other items including his phone and Holly's old blade. He then smiled to her, He walked to where she was and opened a nearby closet. He handed her a coat.

"It's chilly out this time of year; I don't want you catching cold." Holly took the article of clothing and put it on as he put his own coat on. "Did you happen to look out any of the windows this morning?"

"No why?" He waved her over to the living room; he opened the curtains then pointed her towards the window. It was then she saw the cityscape before her. Massive buildings reaching to the sky along with many other devices she couldn't name. Genki smiled off to the side watching her child like wonder * _I knew she would be shocked, she's never seen anything like this; not even ruins this large._ * He waited patiently for her to recover; when she turned to him he could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes.

"Genki… I never imagined a city this large could exist…"

"I figured you'd want to see it before we head out."

"Is the forge in the city?" He nodded, smiling at her.

"It is, about 30 minutes away from here. Don't worry I will explain things as we go. Don't be afraid to ask questions." She smiled, and then gave him a nod. He then turned and walked to the front door, picking up his keys off a nearby table along the way. He had her step out and he locked the door. "We'll be taking my vehicle." he stated as he lead the way to his detached garage. Genki was quite lucky to have a two story home with a garage, not many in Japan did. He grew up living in an apartment after all. But he hadn't wanted to be directly in the city any longer than he had to be.

"Is it like Sandra's taxi?"

"Yes similar though it's far more limited than her vehicle." He opened the garage door then led her toward his vehicle. She saw it flash when he got close, he then opened the door for her. She got on and he closed it and walked to the driver's side. Holly was looking around the interior of the car when he got in. She saw him reach up and pull a strap form the top and snap it into a holder. As he did he spoke to her again, "Pull yours down and fasten it by pushing it into the slot. It's a safety device." She nodded and did so though not entirely sure why. She saw Genki start his vehicle with a button on the dash. Genki then shifted into reverse, when he did the screen on his dash changed so he could see what was directly behind him. Holly watched clearly fascinated, she had seen Colt fly her iron birds and even observed other taxi drivers as well. Genki pulled out of his driveway then carefully took off towards main road. Holly was confused by where he lived, she could tell they were near some rolling foot hills but she never imagined it would be this beautiful * _He must have paid a lot for such a nice house… I never imagined he was this wealthy…* _Holly considered his car for a moment, looking it over some more and watching what he did _* It seems the center level is for the direction though I don't know what everything means on it. I can only read a few things. _* Genki pulled out onto one of the busy streets carefully, eventually he managed to navigate his way onto one of the over passes to make their journey easier. This particularly overpass was fairly tall so she should be able to see more of the city.

"I feel I should warn you about Akame. She tends to be a bit… forward about certain things. If you don't keep a close tie on the subject matter it may drift to… unwholesome topics. It's just how she is." Holly glances over at him as he was focusing on driving.

"She likes to talk about such things?"

"Yes she does, and she's not shy about sharing… experiences. I just wanted to warn you ahead of time so you could be prepared if she does try to steer the conversion that way." he knew Holly wouldn't be thrilled about that but perhaps she could use the nudge by another female. He figured he would stay out of most conversations unless needed. After all he needed to get the gold weighed and tested. * _If she does probe Akame for information about me she is libel to get more than she bargained for. _*

"Thank you for warning me." her voice was soft, she then saw a strange snake like vehicle moving in the distance. "Genki what is that snake like vehicle?"

"It's a train. It runs on tracks to specific destinations." Holly merely observed everything as they drove to the destination, occasionally asking questions but for the most part observing. Genki smiled seeing her so enthralled by his city. They soon arrived at the forge and he pulled into a parking space. Shifting into park he turned the car off then undid his belt. "Push the red button to release the belt." she did so then let it slip back behind her shoulder, as she did he pulled his handle to open his door, automatically unlocking her door. "Pull the handle towards you to open the door." Holly did as instructed and stepped out of the car. She had to admit it was fairly chilly out and was glad for the coat Genki had provided her. Genki smiled, and then waved her towards the door. As he stepped away Holly heard a clicking sound form the vehicle as it locked.

"Genki what did your vehicle do?"

"Oh the car automatically locks its self when I step away; it communicates with the key and knows when it's not present." Holly nodded kind of understanding what he was talking about. The magic stone could activate panels and other objects just by being near them. Holly was good at accepting things how they were and filling the details later. Something she learned while adventuring with the gang and with Colt as well.

* * *

Genki held the door for her and they walked in together. He smiled seeing Akame teaching a few students about their creations. Holly watched as Akame instructed each student on how to quench their blades. When they all finished she walked to the front the group and spoke so all of them could hear her.

_["Alright, I expect you to get these cleaned up and put a handle on them tomorrow. After that we will test your creations for strength and durability. Remember failure is also part of learning. So if your blade does break the best thing you can do is learn why and fix it next time. Any questions?"]_ She saw them all shake their heads. _["Good, I will see you all tomorrow."]_ The group set about cleaning up as Akame turned to her new arrivals.

"I see your whipping the newbs into shape slowly." Genki joked with her, deliberately using English so Holly could understand what he was saying. She laughed and smiled to him.

"Slowly, it's taking a lot of time this round actually. Last class was more astute." He chuckled, "I assume you're here for your father's ring?" Akame smiled to Holly, "And with a new friend. It's nice to meet you; I'm Akame co-owner of this forge." Akame extended her hand and Holly took it giving it a shake while replying,

"I'm Holly; it's nice to meet you." Genki could see the recognition in Akame's eyes. He had mentioned Holly before, something he had forgotten about until now. Akame was the only one who believed him about the monster world, she would know why a good blade was important.

"I'm here for that and a couple of other things actually. Holly's dagger recently broke while she was using it. It looked to me to be a failed quench and a cold shut in the tang. We wanted to know if you could make her a new blade as I doubt this one it repairable." Akame looked intrigued now; Genki pulled the blade from his coat and handed it over to her.

"Let's take a look at it then, this blade size is common so I can easily make another for you." She indicated for them to follow as she walked to her work bench. Once there she pulled the broken blade from its sheath and began looking it over. "What caused the break?" She asked looking to Holly,

"Impact with another blade." this caught Akame by surprise; she then looked harder at the blades edge and could see the chipping the blade had taken.

"A heavier blade I'm guessing by the marks."

"Yes, his was far heavier than mine."

"Well Genki looks like I taught you well. You are correct this cannot be repaired. This cold shut runs very deep. I'm surprised it held up this long actually." Akame took a tool and popped the handle scales apart, when she pulled out the tang Genki was shocked to see it had separated into two pieces. Holly looked just as surprised by this revelation. "I don't think whoever made this had any clue what they were doing. A blade with this type of damage before use is very dangerous to its user."

"Well then I'd like to request you make a new blade for her. She can tell you what style she'd like." Akame smiled,

"I'll get the details from you then Holly." Holly smiled and nodded, "Genki what was your other reason for being here?"

"Need a gold piece weighed and tested."

"Mai can handle that for you while I talk with Holly." Akame flagged her partner down. "Mai, Genki needs a gold piece tested and weighed." Mai smiled as she approached and nodded to Akame,

"Alright Lover Boy come with me and we'll take care of that." Genki groaned and grumbled a little as he followed after Mai; he hated it when they called him that. Akame chuckled as he left; she noticed a curious look from Holly.

"We tease him just a bit; he is always attracting girls with his good looks. That's where the nick name came from, he grumbles about it but has never asked us not to call him that."

"I wasn't aware he was that popular."

"He is but most of the girls are only looking skin deep. He refuses to date someone who is merely attracted to him. He generally prefers to go with those he has at least spoken to for a while." Holly smiled,

"He's never been superficial."

"Indeed he hasn't, if he was he'd have taken advantage of that a long time ago." Akame had pulled out her large sketch paper with a charcoal stick while they chatted. "Now, why don't you tell me about this blade you'd like?"

"The blade I'd like is based off of one I've wielded before. It has a gentle curve to it and its balance it toward the handle." Akame began to sketch as she did she asked a few questions,

"Does the blade have a large belly? Is it thick or thin?"

"No on the belly, it's a fairly thin blade. Maybe two inches across." She saw the woman nod as she began to sketch the arc and thickness.

"Is it like this?"

"Yes, more flat towards the tip on the spine."

"Any fullers?"

"No, it's diamond shaped."  
"Alright so just hallow grinds then." She solidified the blade darkening the lines, "This look good?" Holly inspected it and nodded,

"Yes, it looks very good."

"About the balance, are you certain you want it hilt heavy? I know you've used it before but it does make them harder to wield."

"All of my blades have been hilt heavy actually."

"Would you like to try a mid and forward balanced blade to make sure?" Holly seemed to be intrigued by the idea.

"If it's alright, I would love to." Akame beckoned her to a side room and pick up two blades. Handing the first to Holly she pointed at the target behind her.

"Take a few swings and see how it feels." Holly did as instructed, impressing Akame with her skill. Holly finished with the first blade and handed it back. Akame handed her the second one to test. She watched as Holly skillfully cut the dummy in front of her. * _She's definitely battled before… I will have to make sure this blade is perfect. I want to make sure her blade never fails her again._ * After Holly finished she returned the second blade and they returned to the workbench. "So what did you think?"

"The first one felt the best."

"The mid-balanced blade. Do you prefer that over the hilt heavy?" Holly seemed to take things into consideration now,

"Yes, I believe you are correct, the mid would be best." Akame nodded and jotted down a note before asking her next question.

"What about the handle?" Holly smiled,

"The handle on my blade was comfortable for me. If you need to modify it to fit this blade, that's fine as well." Akame nodded then sketched the handle design onto the paper.

"Something like this work for you?" Holly looked it over and nodded,

"Yes, that looks wonderful." Holly was very pleased with how this was going, she never imagined this woman being so good at interpreting exactly what she wanted. "Thank you for being willing to make this for me."

"You're very welcome; any friend of Genki's is a friend of mine." She paused then placed her pencil down. "I should be able to have it done in a few days." Holly smiled to her,

"That's wonderful." Holly hesitated a moment with the next question. "Akame, there is something I'm wondering about."

"Oh?"

"I know you probably know Genki really well based on what I saw earlier. Do you happen to know why he seems… sad all the time? He refuses to even entertain the subject around me; I'm very worried about him." Akame noticed Holly was hesitant but earnest in the desire to help him. She took a moment to thing before answering.

"Genki has a lot of things he doesn't talk about. I can tell he's stressed out and exhausted, far more than he lets on. Believe me it took me years to learn how to see these things in him. He's very good at hiding them." Holly's eyes showed recognition,

"I was afraid the stress was starting to get to him…"

"His sister causing issues again?" Holly looked at her startled, and then nodded.

"Yes but how did you know?" Akame smiled,

"It's not the first time." She noticed Genki was still tied up with Mai at this point. "She has caused trouble for a very long time. It stresses him out to no end as he tries to fix things and help his parents. I told him he's going to give himself a heart attack one of these days." Akame sighed, "He really needs to relax for a while."

"He's been taking on extra work lately… would that stress him further?" Akame looked a bit surprised then thoughtful as she decided how to answer that. *_He's not going to be happy with me for this conversation but he needs someone there for him. She definitely loves him in some capacity, and I know he loves her. Maybe I can get her to release him from that stupid promise. _*

"It would if he doesn't enjoy the work. Sometimes work is a stress release for him, it just depends on what it is. I know he loves solving puzzles, doing physical labor, or helping others. Those things are not a burden for him." She saw something in Holly's eyes just then,

"Does his job stress him though?"

"Sometimes, he does love programming but it can be stressful for him around deadlines."

"He had to take over as team lead and finish a project this week." Holly stated watching the other woman's response.

"That would stress him out yes." Akame confirmed before continuing, "He told you about Kai right?"

"His brother? Yes, he told me about him earlier while explaining what was going on with his sister."

"He may not look it but he's worried about him as well. Kai… well he doesn't combat his issues well. Genki has tried to encourage him and help him but… let's just say Kai doesn't have enough fight in him to win. I know it frustrates Genki to no end. He may want nothing to do with his sister but he loves his brother dearly."

"I take it Kai has given up then?"

"He has unfortunately. It's my opinion that Genki sees himself in his brother, which is why he wants to help so much. Ultimately it's not Genki's choice though; Kai has to find the will to push his issues back on his own."

"Genki told me he fought his fears and was able to push them aside; I can see him trying to help others do the same…"

"Which fears did he mention?"

"Spiders and the Dark." Akame smiled,

"I figured he left one out. His biggest fear is still a problem for him but he usually won't say it to others. He doesn't want to seem weak nor have people worried about him." Holly looked intrigued, "His greatest fear is being alone, and it terrifies him to no end. He controls it well and most wouldn't even know he has such a fear but it's still there. I'm actually surprised he hasn't dated since we broke up, but for whatever reason he has remained single." Holly looked like she had something she long suspected confirmed, Akame smiled inwardly at this. *_ So she had a hunch about this huh? _*

"Akame, should you really be telling me this?"

"Probably not but he needs help. I'm tell you this because you are probably the only one that can help him. He will be furious with me I'm sure but it's for his own good. I can see his stress is building up again. If he doesn't get a release soon… well let's just say it won't be pretty." Holly looked like she wasn't sure what to do with this information,

"What do you mean 'I'm the only one that can help'?" Akame weighed her words carefully,

"It's obvious to me he trusts you. Even when we were together he has always spoken highly of you. He loves you and always will, and from what I can tell he listens to you. If anyone can get him to release his stress in a productive way it'll be you." Holly looked startled, * _does she mean he still loves me as in wanting to be with me? Or as just family? _*

"I'm surprised he spoke to you about me…"

"I was the only one who believed him about the monster world. He has issues sure but he's not delusional."

"It didn't cause any issues did it?"

"No, I'm not the jealous type. Plus he told me about your… rough conversation."

"Rough conversation?"

"Where you told him 'no'; that you wouldn't date him. Are you saying you forgot about it?" Holly shook her head,

"No I didn't forget. I'm surprised he mentioned it though."

"Why wouldn't he? He was quite upset over it actually. I will say I never understood why you turned him down." Holly sighed, * _So she's steering the conversation that way huh? _* She really didn't want to talk about it but she realized there wasn't a way out of it now. Glancing over to see Genki still working with Mai she returned her attention to Akame.

"I had several reasons though the most prominent of which is the whole juggling two worlds thing. I didn't think it would be feasible for us to juggle lives in both worlds. Not to mention how stressful that would be."

"I can see that being a very complicated but a doable thing if you try hard enough." Akame didn't seem deterred in the slightest. "You really should consider talking to him about it again. You already came through the portal; you've seen how things are here. I think you can make a better educated decision now that you understand his world better. Yes, he has moments of great stress but being with those he loves is what keeps him going." Holly seemed taken aback by how forward she was being,

"I'm not sure…"

"Just consider it. I think he wants to talk to you, but if you are refusing to talk with him then he can't."

* _I did make him promise… is that why he cut me off yesterday? He did say I didn't want to talk about it. _* Holly began to wonder if she had done the right thing now but was interrupted when Akame continued,

"I will say loving Genki is like no other experience. He is very flexible and more than willing to adapt to your needs. Hell, he didn't even have an issue being dominated in bed. Very few men take to that well." Akame laughed a bit, "Though he tends to forget his own needs at the same time. I always had to remind him." Holly had a look of shock and discomfort at what she just heard.

* _Well Genki did warn me I guess _* she sighed as Akame noticed her mood. "Akame… I'm not really into…" She was struggling to finish that sentence.

"It's fine Holly, not many are into BDSM or other fetishes. Don't worry about it. Also long as you're happy with the sex you have and feel fulfilled that's what matters. I may have corrupted Genki a bit though. He wasn't into it at first, I tend to like it rough and he wasn't being rough at first. I eventually got him to do what I needed, but I always fulfilled his desires as well. It's all about balance." Holly turned beet red at the mention of sex making Akame chuckle a little, * _A shy one eh? Probably less experienced hence the embarrassment. _*

"Akame… I'm not sure I needed to know about that…" Holly managed to stammer out, making the other woman chuckle.

"I suppose not." She smiled to Holly, "Just keep in mind that a healthy relationship is about communication. If you can't talk about something it's going to cause issues down the road." Holly was still blushing but nodded none the less.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Genki was dealing with Mai. He wasn't that thrilled to be away from Holly, he just hoped Akame wouldn't bring up too many inappropriate topics.

"Stop worrying about her, Akame won't bite."

"That is not what I am worried about."

"Oh?"

"You know how she is with her sex talks. Holly… is a bit of a prude and doesn't talk about sex with anyone."

"So she's the one that told you no years ago?" Genki looked over surprised then sighed,

"I should have known she'd say something…"

"Don't worry about it Genki, she talks about you all the time, It doesn't bother me. I'm still waiting for you to say yes to a threesome." Genki looked annoyed now,

"I told you no before…"

"I'm aware, don't be so uptight."

"Yes, Holly is the one that told me no."

"You really should try to win her over Genki… it's obvious you love her."

"I'll always love her Mai." He looked away, "She made me promise not to bring it up again… so I can't broach the subject with her anymore…"

"You really are you own worst enemy." Mai could see he was thinking things over so let him do so. Akame had told her all about him, they were all great friends. She had felt conflicted when he was first around but it was obvious he had let Akame go. She just wished she could help him in some way. "Maybe you can have a mutual friend get her talking to you about that again?" Mai decided to suggest as she ran the test on the gold. Genki looked thoughtful for a moment, * _maybe Granity can talk some sense into her… But would she be willing to?_ *

"I can see if a mutual friend with help… I'm not sure if she would be willing to get involved though." Mai smiled at this,

"All you can do is try Genki. By the way your gold is 18 Karat." Genki glanced over at her,

"Really? I wasn't expecting that." She weighed it for him now Genki watched as the weigh came up. He typed the weight into his phone along with the Karats.

"So this coin is 28 grams" Mai looked over at her chart to find its value. "So it's worth approximately 133,800 Yen per coin." Genki whistled he hadn't expected that at all. He knew it was worth more but not that much.

"Who would I sell this to for the gold value?" Mai smiled,

"We could buy it from you, I'm sure Akame wouldn't mind. You'd just have to tell us ahead of time if you have any more to sell."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem." Genki smiled, Mai then lead him back out the forge floor.

Akame smiled as he returned with her lover. She could see a mischievous look in Mai's eyes and wondered what had happened.

"So what's the verdict?" Akame asked, Holly seemed to be recovering from something embarrassing making Genki roll his eyes.

"He's got a 28 gram 18 karat coin. Says he wants to exchange it, if you feel up to it Hun?" Akame nodded,

"Sounds good; write him a check for the value and grab that ring for him. His father's going to need it soon." Mai took the coin from Genki then walked to the office at the back of the shop.

"You sure you guys…" Akame cut him off with a disbelieving look.

"Genki we wouldn't have accepted the exchange if we couldn't, I could use the gold for my jewelry anyway." She sighed, "seriously you need to relax, go get laid or something. We know what we are doing." Holly's face lit up as Genki raised a brow and gave Akame an annoyed look.

"Akame, you know I do not bed people just to have sex. We have been over this before." His voice even,

"I offered him some threesome action but he declined." Mai popped up about then making him roll his eyes, not before notice Holly shrinking and turning into a tomato next him.

"And I will always decline, that is not something I'm willing to do. Regardless of how 'fun' you claim it is." He sighed, "Seriously sex is not the _only_ stress release."

"No but it's one of the fastest." Akame proclaimed grinning at him, Genki just grunted at this response.

"Here you go" Mai gave him the check, then handed him the ring. "Tell your father we hope his day goes as planned." Genki chuckled,

"I will though I doubt it will go as planned. Mom has a way of… figuring things out no matter how well he plans surprises." Both women chuckled at this. He glanced to Holly now, she seemed to be recovering. "You all set?" Holly nodded finding her voice finally,

"Yes, Akame said she'd have it finished in a few days." Genki nodded, he glanced back to his friends.

"I'll call you when it's done Genki." Akame said making him smile.

"I look forward to seeing it." He glanced to Holly again then stated, "We have to get going, I still have a few things to do today. I'll see you both soon."

"Take care you two; it was nice seeing you both." Holly smiled warmly at Akame,

"You as well." She left with Genki as Akame and Mai shared a grin. They were totally going to make sure those two got together.

* * *

Once in the car Holly let out a big sigh, relaxing a bit. She had felt entirely uncomfortable and now her mind was filled with curious thoughts that she'd rather not entertain.

"You ok?" Genki asked, sounding rather concerned.

"Yeah… she caught me off guard is all… She brought up a lot of… inappropriate topics."

"I warned you about her." Genki started the car and began to back out of his parking spot.

"You did indeed. I just didn't think it would get quite that bad. I'm not even sure what half of the things she was talking about were but I know it was… unwholesome." Genki chuckled,

"If you truly want to know I can fill in the blanks for you. Or give you some reading material." Holly glanced his way noticing he never blushed even when a threesome was mentioned.

"I take it she can't embarrass you?" He snorted,

"Not anymore, pretty much nothing she says bothers me. Occasionally it annoys or surprises me. She has always been all about that type of thing, you get exposed to it enough and it no longer affects you." Holly wasn't sure what to make of that, the whole thing had completely been an issue for her. "Holly I need to make a brief stop to get two items. Shouldn't take long."

"They for something specific?"

"Yes, the desert you asked me to make." Holly seemed intrigued now,

"What are you making?"

"It's called Mushi Pan, it's basically a type of cake." He could see her smile off to the side,

"I look forward to trying that Genki." He soon pulled into the lot; he glanced over at her as he undid the belt. "I'll stay here Genki, just get what you need." He nodded and hopped out to do so. Holly leaned back in her seat just thinking over what Akame had said. The traffic was distracting for her but she was able to focus on her thoughts after she ignored the excess noise. *_ So Akame wants me to help him and from what she said he was very upset with me when I rejected him. I know he loves me… it's obvious he has never stopped loving me. Why hasn't he said anything though? Is it because of the promise he made to me…* _a frown graced her face thinking about that, * _it has to be… he never breaks a promise. I probably should release him from that promise. It's the least I can do… it's not like I've exactly moved on either despite all my talk of doing so._ * She sighed, * _could she see that, is that why she probed me the way she did? Perhaps, I don't know her well enough… but what did she mean that he has 'issues'? Is it from his fear? Or something else entirely? She did compare him and Kai a lot but Genki doesn't seem to have what Kai does._ * Her thoughts were interrupted when Genki returned, * _I really need to ask him about this weird stuff she had him doing._ *

"Holly are you feeling alright?"

"Yes just tired… I think the time difference is catching up with me." Genki just nodded and restarted the vehicle to drive home. He was worried about her but it could wait till they got back.

* * *

Once they arrived back at his home Holly noticed how nice everything around him was. She had to admit he was definitely well off even if he never spoke much about it. She felt him place a hand on her forehead when he stopped the vehicle. Holly glanced over at him seeing him worried, he removed his hand after a moment without a word. Then got out of the car, Holly managed to find her way out as well and followed him into the house.

"I'm sure you have questions, I'm betting she over shared information again."

"I do yes, but first there is something else I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Genki shut the door behind him and began putting his stuff on the table. He placed the ring in a drawer in the table then removed his coat. Holly had removed her coat as well and placed it on the coat hook.

"Akame reminded me of something I should have taken care of years ago, it was very selfish on my part to request this and very unfair to you." She paused deciding how to tell him, Genki looked at her questioningly, he wasn't sure what Akame had told her but he knew he was liable to not like it. "Genki I release you from the promise I made you take. I was being very selfish that day and only thinking of my own feelings, not yours. If you wish to speak to me about us being together then do so. I should never have ordered you to stop the way I did." a look of both shock and incomprehension passed over his features he then closed his eyes smiling slightly,

* _So that's what she was up to… she's fixing things so we can talk…_ * "Akame didn't force you to do this did she?"

"No, she only reminded me of it. I truly am sorry Genki. I know I caused you pain… and then I wouldn't even let you vent. I understand now why you won't come to me with relationship things. You felt like I was telling you that I didn't care and that I didn't want to ever talk about such things. It's something I should have realized sooner." She looked away from him now; her eyes seemed far off for a moment. Genki noticed the distant look but decided to leave it alone. Instead he addressed her statement.

"I won't deny that what you did hurt me greatly, Holly, and ever since then I haven't felt like discussing any relationship related things with you. I know you were scared and that's why you were begging me to make such a promise. It's my own fault for taking such a vow not yours, I could have told you no but I didn't. But thank you for releasing me. We can discuss things on that topic later; I don't feel up to it at the moment." * _Last thing I need right now is another stressful conversation. Especially before Granity comes over. Not sure I can take much more emotional stress right now._ * He noticed her eyes connected with his again, she was searching for something but said nothing. Genki heard a noise from the kitchen and walked that way, notice the lights on his receiver he walked to it activating it. "Yes we're here."

"Good, is now a good time Genki?"

"Yes Granity, see you in ten minutes." He shut the microphone back off then turned to Holly. "Come with me a minute, there's something I want to give you before I forget." Holly looked confused but nodded as he turned and walked out of the room. He opened a door that revealed some stairs going down; he proceeded downward with her in tow. She looked around mystified as to how this story had a window; she had assumed this was his cellar. But it looked like part of the house. He smiled, seeing her enjoying the wondrous mountain view out his window. He let her enjoy it a moment before he touched her shoulder and simply smiled to her. He then continued walking; soon he turned into a room. As she followed she gasped seeing a library, she hadn't seen one in years. Genki walked to one of the shelves and began searching for the book he had in mind. * _I don't know if she is ready for this but I need to honest with her just like I was with Akame. If it doesn't scare her off then maybe there is hope. I'll have to thank Akame later for pushing her a little, she really needed it._ * Genki found the one he was looking for and pulled it out, He then walked to where Holly was browsing chuckling at her child like wonder, * _Perhaps this is now her favorite room… I forgot how she adores books._ *

"Genki… I've never seen this many books in one house…" He smiled,

"You're welcome to borrow some to read." He saw her eye light up at that offer, * _Maybe this will be an incentive to travel here more. _*

"I would greatly enjoy that Genki… I've always wanted to be able to read more." He chuckled again, his eyes warm telling her he loved that she was enjoying herself.

"I pulled this one out for you. I believe you'll find it helpful to answer some of your questions though perhaps not all." He handed her the large, green, leather bound book. She took it and read the cover but looked confused, "It will explain a lot of things for you; it's very good at putting things in layman's terms so anyone can understand."

"What is it about?"

"It's a Psychology book."

"Psychology? What's that." She seemed more confused,

"Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. This covers a lot of different topics related to that study. Everything from the different areas of the brain including their roles and what happens what there is an imbalance in the brain, to disorders and even sexuality and it's more complex role. It should help you understand some of what both Akame and I have spoken to you about. And what I might talk to you about in the future." Holly still looked confused but she now realized he was preparing her for something.

"You need me to read this for future conversations?" * _is this about his fears? Or his 'issues'? _*

"Yes, there are things I can't explain well Holly. I want you to be able to understand them when they come up."

"You said 'might talk to me about'… does that mean you aren't sure if you wish to discuss it?" He chuckled, *_attentive as ever Holly_ *

"Correct… I'm still unsure of it." He looked away a moment, "There are things I keep locked away Holly, that I almost never share. Akame knows some of them, I trusted her with them slowly after she proved to me that I could open up fully. Until I am certain you can handle everything… I'm going to hold back. It's not an easy discussion for me to have with anyone." A look of concern and confusion passed over Holly's features.

* _He thinks I can't handle this? And he doesn't trust me with it? Did I break his trust when I told him no all those years ago? I didn't realize I had hurt him that much… _* He turned and moved to rack on the wall pulling something from it then walked back over. "Genki…"

"Until you get your blade I want you to carry this one. It should keep you safe." He handed her an ivory ray skin hilted dagger in a black sheath. Its sheath, guard, and pommel decorated in brass. Holly could tell by looking that the beautiful weapon was old, its brass patina darkened with age. "This was my grandfather's Yamamoto from when he was in the imperial navy years ago. It kept him safe throughout the whole of the world war. It'll keep you safe as well." Holly looked very conflicted now,

"Are you sure Genki?"

"Yes, I want you to be safe. You'll have your dagger in a few days' time, you can return this then." He smiled to her; he was trusting her with a family heirloom.

"I will only use it if I must." She returned his smile; she understood now what he was doing. He was opening up to her, showing her he trusted her a little at a time. He nodded then glanced to his watch,

"We better get set up so Granity can jump; I'll show you how to open the gate on this side. Just in case I'm indisposed at a time we need it open."

"Alright, though I don't know when I would need to do that…"

"You never know when it might be handy." he said cryptically making Holly wonder about him. She placed the book and dagger with her bag on the kitchen table on the way upstairs to the room she landed in. * _I just hope Granity would make it safely a crossed. I don't want anything to happen to her._ *

_AAN: spending time with Granity in the next chapter. Trying to do a slow build up for this so I can develop things better. Let me know how you like it so far guys. _


	4. Bonds

_AAN: We will see how long these get. A lot of my chapters seem to be over 20 pages now. This one is going to be really big. I hope you all are enjoying the journey so far. There will be a little Genki/Granity/Holly relationship but it's for a purpose. This is primarily a Genki/Holly fic. I did go back and change some numbers for Genki's income in the first chapter. It was set way too low for what I wanted to do._

* * *

**Bonds**

Genki then began to show her how he powered everything up. He moved slower than he normally would so that she could see what he was doing. Once he was set Holly noticed the screen change to show the others getting their side ready. "I can limitedly see when you guys are ready, which is how I time things. In order for it to open and let you through this side I need to time my button press with whoever is at the shrine control." He showed her the button on his controller, "as long as I'm close the gate with open just fine."

"How does it open on the way back for you though?"

"Not entirely sure but I have a few theories." He saw Hare press the large button and he pressed his controller button. "Move back unless you want to be tackled." Holly saw the screen change and soon Granity came tumbling out. She looked around confused, and then spotted Holly who had come to make sure she was ok.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Genki set the controller down,

"No one else is popping a crossed right?"

"No." Granity shook her head. Holly saw him flip off the console just then,

"Just making sure, I don't want to sever the connection with someone in the portal by accident." He saw the girls look at him with concern for a moment before nodding.

"Granity… looks like the portal changed you a little." Granity stood and looked herself over.

"I guess it did…"

"My theory seems to be holding. You should revert back to your true form once you jump back across." Genki smiled, he then indicated to the girls to follow. Granity did looking around while he led them into the living room to sit. He knew Granity would like to chat about specific things so he indented to let that come first.

"Genki… your home if very nice." Granity said at length, still in a little shock.

"Thank you Granity. Feel free to visit whenever you like." She smiled to him, and then glanced to Holly.

"I trust you got the blade sorted out?"

"Yes, Akame said it'd be finished in a few days. Genki is letting me borrow one of his blades in the meantime just in case." Granity smiled at this,

"Thank you for helping so much Genki." He nodded and returned her smile.

"Any time Granity." He paused a moment, "I take it you have something sensitive to talk to me about?" he inquired wondering if it was simply her asking for him to be her trainer or something more.

"I do yes, Holly you can stay don't worry. I don't mind you knowing." she glanced to the woman in question receiving a smile from her, she returned her attention back to Genki who looked on with mild interest. "I'm not sure how to say this so I'll just be blunt, I would like you to be my trainer alongside Holly. I need a male trainer to help me through some things." Genki looked mildly surprised, his eyes holding some concern in them as well.

"Granity I have no problem being your second trainer if that's what you want. I would be happy to help you, just keep in mind you will always be my friend first. Just like I do with Mocchi." his voice was soft and even. She smiled,

"I know that's why I want you. You have always been different Genki and that is something I very much appreciate." She paused a moment, "Holly, did you tell him anything about our relationship?" She glanced over at her female trainer now. Holly nodded,

"Yes, I told him that you wanted me as your trainer and that I helped you through some things emotionally using my powers." Granity raised a brow at her, Holly smiled sheepishly in return. "I also mentioned that you and I have bonded." her voice softer now, Granity smirked.

"Holly, I'm not upset if that's what you think."

"I thought you might not like my sharing that."

"I figured you'd tell him, and I trust him like I do you." Granity turned her attention back to Genki. "I do need to ask you, do you know what bonding with a monster actually means?" Genki tilted his head,

"I can hazard a guess."

"Which is?"

"From what I gleaned during my conversation with Holly it's a bond of both heart and soul, a type of full trust between trainer and monster." Granity smiled to him,

"That's pretty good for a guess." He chuckled,

"I do try to pay attention during conversations."

"It is indeed a bond of the heart and soul but it can also physical. It's very rare that a human and monster bond physically but it does happen. It doesn't have to lead to sex mind you, but it is about being comfortable together; being able to share touches without worry. This type of bond can never be forced but once it's in place both trainer and monster can feel it within them, it makes both stronger." Genki nodded, though he noticed Holly blushing out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you looking for that type of bond with me Granity?" Genki asked, keeping his voice soft and even. He doubted he could scare Granity off but he wanted her to feel comfortable nonetheless.

"I am yes. Genki, do you have any idea what my last trainer did to me?" He could see the discomfort in her eyes now, he frowned thinking of how horrible that man had been to her. He shifted his gaze outside a moment hearing a siren before he answered,

"I believe I understood what you were trying to tell me when I was younger. I may have been too young to understand what all happened then but I knew he had hurt you." His eyes met hers now, "I could be wrong but I believe he abused you, perhaps even raping you." Granity's eyes had widened as he finished his statement, "Before you ask, no Holly did not tell me any of that. It was something I understood upon reflection of our time together. Especially when you saved me at the cliff side, your actions spoke volumes; I just didn't fully understand at the time." Granity closed her eyes a moment, a sad smile appearing on her face as Genki waited. Holly had moved to put her hand on Granity's trying to help her.

"Well you are completely right Genki… He abused me and used me as his play thing, raping me over and over. I was powerless to stop him when I was younger."

"You became strong to never feel that way again."

"Yes, but all that darkness was still there. I may have let go of my blind hatred of humans but my heart wasn't healing." Genki seemed wary now, he knew she was vulnerable and he wouldn't try to do anything that might hurt her.

"Granity, if you want this bond with me then you need to lead me. I don't want to make assumptions about what you're ready for. I know you want to heal from this, I will help you but you need to tell me what you want me to do." She looked stunned, though she knew he was going to be good to her she never imagined he would go about it this way.

"Are… you offering to be submissive to me?" Holly looked startled now; she hadn't followed that line of thinking. Genki nodded,

"I am. I want you to be in control until you feel ready for anything else. If some day you want me to be dominant and you feel ready for that, then and only then will I take any control." He could see his words meant a lot to her, "My goal is to help you, if you need something of me then just ask." Granity seemed to be thinking things through a moment then spoke softly,

"Genki are you willing to be intimate with me and vulnerable to me?" He almost missed her words, Holly face turned red again at that implication making him chuckle inwardly.

"I am willing to do anything you need me to do to help you heal. If you wish me to be vulnerable then I will be; if you want that type of intimacy then we will do that. But I want you to be sure of things before we get to that stage, the last thing I want is for you to experience anymore pain. You may feel more comfortable with Holly that way then me." Holly now wanted to hide after he had spoken those words; she was entirely embarrassed by this conversation. Granity noticed her reaction and put an arm around her.

"Calm down Holly." She leaned her head against Holly's giving her some affection. Genki remained silent as they cuddled. Holly slowly relaxed as Granity rubbed her back. * _Holly is definitely fully bisexual… she really needs to talk about sex more or she will always be embarrassed by it. _* He waited patiently for Holly to feel a bit better.

"I'm fine Granity… It's just hard for me to talk about this still."

"I know, just keep trying. You'll get there." Granity's eyes found his again, she noticed he seemed amused but wasn't willing to say anything. * _She is amusing with how red she can turn over these subjects._ * "Genki I take it you don't have an issue with our relationship?" Genki smiled and shook his head.

"No, my ex is bi actually. I've never had an issue with same sex relationships. I believe people should be accepted for who they truly are."

"I'm glad… would you mind us visiting for a little alone time? Suezo makes our time together very difficult." Genki chuckled at this while Holly looked a bit unsure of asking such a favor.

"If you want to have time alone just tell me. I have no issue providing you a safe place to do that. I will however be having a word with Suezo, he needs a good stern talking to it seems."

"Good luck with that, both of us have tried. Only threats seem to keep him at bay."

"I have my own ways of dealing with annoyances. I'm betting I can get him to stop. I do have a question for you Holly."

"Yes?" she looked up curiously,

"Did you ever bond with Suezo? I mean the heart and soul kind of bond. I know you wouldn't entertain his perversions." Holly nodded to him,

"Yes, shortly after I unlocked him we did."

"And he is refusing to listen to you?"

"He is yes…"

"I wonder…" Genki shook his head, * _I hope that's not the case._ * "Do you still feel that bond?" Holly looked confused now, closing her eyes she looked inside herself. Granity had some idea what he might be getting at.

"Yes it's there… perhaps weaker than it once was but it's there." She looked back at him, a little guilt in her eyes.

"If the bond weakened I doubt it was anything you did Holly. I know he has tried to grope you in the past. He caused it to weaken… I suspect he is unaware of this." Holly sighed and laid her head on Granity's shoulder, "I will speak with him and see if I can clear things up. I have a hunch on something else but I'd prefer to get clarification before I jump to any conclusions." His eyes shifted to Granity who seemed to understand what he might be thinking. "I imagine he made dating nearly impossible for you Holly. I'm sorry; I should have seen his behavior as an issue sooner." Holly shook her head and smiled sadly,

"It's not your fault. I really should be sterner with him." Holly didn't acknowledge the dating aspect but he knew it would have been difficult for her to sneak off. "He just seems…"

"Possessive and afraid lately." Granity finished for her; Holly glanced to her before sighed nodding in agreement.

"I will take that into consideration. This isn't healthy though." He smiled to her, "I will do my best Holly. You need to be able to do what you feel it right without interference." She returned his smile,

"Thanks Genki."

"Did you feel like asking about what Akame said to you or would you rather wait?" Granity looked interested now, Holly sighed and nodded to him.

"I think I will do better with Granity here for this."

"Then ask what you wanted to know."

"Well early in my conversation with her she made the comment that you had… 'issues', what did she mean by that?" He looked confused,

"Context of that response would be helpful."

"Oh right! Well I had asked her why you seemed… sad lately. She did mention your stress having something to do with it." She seemed hopeful that would help him. Genki closed his eyes a moment, * _Damnit Akame… just what are you thinking_… *

"I believe I know what she was referring to now." He met her eyes now; she could see he was guarded now. "Remember what I told you downstairs?" she nodded,

"That you have some things you can't tell me right now…"

"Yes, those 'issues' are part of that. Right now, without background knowledge you wouldn't be able to fully understand them. I gave you that book for a reason, you need that knowledge first. I will answer this question once you have the ability to understand what I'm going to tell you." He sighed, "As far as my sadness goes you should have just asked me. Yes I have my moments when I feel sad; this time of year is hard on me. It reminds me of my grandfather's death. I was extremely close to him, so when he passed it was… well I didn't handle it well. I did finally recover but the memory is still difficult sometimes. My bouts only last a short time, don't worry about it." Holly seemed to sympathize with him,

"Genki I'm sorry…"

"It's alright Holly. I don't mind you asking."

"You're sure that I should have his dagger?"

"Yes, I gave it to you for a reason." Granity just watched the exchange; she was intrigued but not willing to enter into the conversation just yet. "Anything else Holly?"

"Well… she mentioned dominating you in bed, when I tried to tell her I didn't talk about sex she assumed I was saying something else. She went on to say 'that it was ok that not many were into BDSM or other fetishes'. She also mentioned that she liked it rough. Can you clarify that for me? I don't understand the whole domination thing or those other things she mentioned." Granity raised a brow now and smirked at Genki looking rather amused. Genki sighed shaking his head,

"No wonder you were glad to leave. I didn't realize she was being _**that**_ perverted." He took a moment to think of how to tell her about these things. "As far as domination goes, it was something she really enjoyed; it was basically her kink if you will."

"So it aroused her?" Granity asked still wearing her smirk.

"Yes, it was definitely a turn on for her." He sighed, "I will admit I enjoyed it, it did become a turn on for me as well."

"No wonder you'll let me have you." Granity laughed as Holly blushed like mad.

"Akame was also what is called a 'switch', in this context is means she will switch between being dominate and submissive. She does indeed enjoy rough sex, there were times that I really wasn't sure I wasn't going to hurt her, but I never seemed to." Granity seemed intrigued now, she gently rubbed Holly's back to keep her calm as she probed for answers herself.

"Did she like to pretend to be raped or something?" he seemed to be trying to find his words now.

"I suppose you could call it that though it is a bit different. If she was pretending to be raped, for some fantasy then she would have resisted me. There was never any resistance; she just wanted me to use my full strength during sex." Granity seemed to understand now, though Holly remained confused. "I don't know how many times I got yelled at when I was too gentle." He chuckled, "it was an odd experience to say the least."

"I bet it was, I'm sure that wouldn't come naturally to you."

"No it doesn't Granity. I had to work hard at it to meet what she wanted."

"What about the rest?" He chuckled at Granity's curiosity. Noticing Holly seemed to be having a hard time understanding everything.

"We'll cover fetishes first since BDSM is a fetish. You both know what the word means I'm sure."

"Yes, but not how it relates to sex."

"When related to sex it is basically someone's turn on, this turn on is not… normal as it were. For example, there are some people with foot fetishes; where they are turned on by attractive feet."

"Oh so it's an unusual turn on?" Granity smiled,

"Yes, some people never realize they have a fetish at all. Some find it by accident." Granity seemed to understand, though Holly seemed to be uncertain of things but not confused as such. Genki assumed she hadn't heard of fetishes before now and found them strange.

"I assume that BDSM is an acronym then?" Granity seemed to be leading the charge even though Holly had wanted answers. Genki chuckled at this development,

"Yes, but it has become a catch all term for many different fetishes. The acronym is actually broken down as B&D, D&S, S&M. Each does have some overlap but most couples don't practice all three parts." He paused a moment to make sure they understood. "As far as the break down goes, B&D stands for Bondage and Discipline. This can be anything from actual bondage to just another type of domination. This generally goes hand and hand with D&S or Dominant and Submissive. Generally the third part is the optional one, S&M or Sadist & Masochist."

"That third one has to do with pain right?" Granity probed, now a bit concerned.

"Yes though it does vary as to the extent it's used. There are those that use minor pain to amplify their pleasure and a few who are really into the whole pain aspect that are considered deviants even among those into BDSM. The important thing to remember is that it is always consensual for both partners. Most couples have a lengthy discussion before and after a session. This is after all a role playing experience, they are just fulfilling their roles in the fantasy." he knew a lot more but decided to leave the whole brain and body chemistry thing out of it. It was complex and those without a good scientific understanding weren't likely to understand it. Holly seemed to need calming down again, she had turned bright red and hid her face, and he waited for her to feel better. Granity was the first to speak though,

"I will say I wasn't expecting anything like that Genki. Based on what you were saying...you were the submissive most of the time correct?"

"Yes, most of the time I was."

"Did she ever physically hurt you?" Genki's brow rose at the inquiry, * _She's defiantly more open than Holly to this… but how open?_ *

"Occasionally pain was incorporated into our play. But nothing serious, in fact once we were having sex I didn't even notice the pain anymore at all." He searched her eyes a moment before stating, "There was never any abuse Granity. Akame was aware of my limits; she never pushed me beyond them. Like most couples a safe word was used during the vast majority of our sessions."

"Safe word?"

"A safe word is a word that won't generally come up during sex. If uttered it's a direct order to stop whatever is going on. It basically means stop but since the word stop doesn't always mean that during some role playing." Granity seemed to understand now, nodding her acceptance of his explanation.

"I think I understand. I was just concerned…"

"I would never allow abuse Granity. Besides most of what we did was called 'sensation play'. Generally one partner is blindfolded and objects of different textures are used to sensually touch them. Removing your sight allows for a greater sensation to be felt during it." He saw her nod her understanding, "BDSM requires a complete trust between couples, and it's not for those just starting out. It has been shown through studies that couples who engage in it experience more stress relief and a stronger bond than those who don't." Genki decided to glance at Holly now to see if she was alright, her eyes told him she was struggling with this conversation.

"I suppose if you are tied up and unable to move, you do have to trust our partner a whole lot to willingly let them do that." Granity commented at length making Holly glance at her, Holly finally spoke up now.

"Genki… did you fully trust her with everything?"

"I fully trusted her in many ways, but not with all my secrets if that's what you are getting at. She knew most of them but not all. About the time I was going to divulge the others we decided to separate. She could sense that on some level I wasn't happy and that I was settling for her. She told me she didn't want me to be tied to her when my heart belonged to another. She wanted me to be with my soul mate." Holly's eyes widened at this, she looked away not sure what to say.

"Does she believe I'm you're soulmate?"

"I can't answer that; you would have to ask her." Holly nodded,

"She told me what your greatest fear was… she was also pushing me to talk to you about us being together." Genki looked both surprised and somewhat upset. Granity noticed his mood change, *_ He didn't want Holly to find out that way…_ * She saw Genki close his eyes and he took a deep breath and let it out. It was subtle but Granity recognized it for what it was.

"And what did she say was my greatest fear?" His voice neutral and devoid of emotion, Holly glanced up at him and saw that his mask was back on. *_ He's upset..._* she realized before answering,

"Being alone, she said it still terrifies you…" She could see he was definitely mad now. Genki closed his eyes again, *_ Akame… I trusted you with that… why would you tell her? Are you trying to coerce her into being with me? I don't want pity!_ * He again took a moment to calm himself before responding. Granity watched but remained silent as she held Holly's hand. When Genki seemed to recover he looked into both of their eyes.

"She's not wrong about my fear of being alone, though I will be having a conversation with her about revealing things that she has been told in confidence." He sighed, "I don't mention this fear for a reason, I hate when others pity me or think I'm weak due to a fear. Hence why I have never spoken of most of my fears."

"You left it out when we spoke earlier… you were afraid I'd see you as weak?" Holly seemed concerned and unsure of what he thought,

"Not just that. I did not want you to feel pressured. Akame is using this to push you into speaking with me about something you have actively avoided. Yes, you said we could talk about it now. But was that really your choice or her coercing you into that position?" Holly looked surprised at this; she seemed to need a moment before she could answer. * _Did she coerce me? I definitely felt bad knowing he feared begin alone… but the guilt I felt wasn't from that. No she pushed me to see the truth but that's all._ *

"She may have given me a push but I released you from that promise because I felt it was the right things to do. There was no coercion present in my decision." Genki remained silent a moment before he spoke.

"Alright, just be careful. She might try again if she is trying to play match maker." He sighed, glancing out the window a moment before returning his attention to the two ladies on his couch. He could see Holly understood him now even if she thought he was weird. * _If she can't accept this then the rest is out of the question._ * Granity seemed to be curious still,

"So... have you two spoken about being together?" Genki looked at her and shook his head.

"Not yet… we will just not now. I'm still emotionally drained from dealing with my family. We will when both of us feel up to it." Granity could see the exhaustion in his eyes but also something else, * _Loneliness… he feels alone… this must have been hard for him to admit to all this. It's definitely considered deviant behavior in our world. I'll have to talk to Holly later_. * She glanced at Holly to see she looked a little stressed as well. *_ Maybe I can help her relax before we jump back…_ *

"Genki… I'm sure you have things you need to do… would you mind if we borrowed a room for a brief time? I'd like to have a little alone time with a Holly before we jump back." He nodded,

"There's another guest room in the basement level. I won't be able to hear you once you are down there. I need to edit the machine video and make my dessert for tomorrow; you'll have plenty of time to be alone together." He smiled to them, "If anyone asks I'll just tell them you are giving Holly a pep talk or something." Granity chuckled at this; Holly blushed while looking over at him with a grateful expression. He rose and indicated for them to follow him. Granity noticed that the basement looked nothing like what she imagined. He lead them to the room in question, it was as nice as the one upstairs.

"Feel free to use this room anytime you like. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." He walked back the way he came and the two women closed the door. Genki knew they might be intimate but it didn't bother him, he was more concerned with his stress level. When he reached the kitchen he placed a hand on his head *_ Damn I really need to get rid of some stress soon… if it keeps going this way… I really won't be able to hide it much longer from them if that happens._ * He grabbed his bamboo steamer and filled the bottom with water, he then walked over to his stove, placed the steamer on the top of the largest burner, and turned it on to preheat the steamer. He then began to get everything he needed together, deciding it would be best to do the cakes first and the video second. His headache might go away by the time he got to the video.

* * *

Granity had smiled to Holly and pulled her into an embrace after Genki had left. She held her for a little while before pulling back to speak with her.

"You're getting better. I was thinking you'd freak out long before you did Holly."

"I was trying to not freak on you… this is still very hard for me…"

"I know… that's why I came here. I wanted to help you as you pushed yourself."

"I… just can't believe all the strange things Akame made him do…"

"Akame asked him Holly, she didn't make him. It's obvious to me that he's just open to experimentation. It's not unheard of in our own world you know."

"I know… but it's not normal. I only hear about it in whispered rumors. Still it was a surprise to learn he likes being dominated…"

"True but it's still present on our world even if it's not spoken of. I believe the whole domination thing may have something to do with what he's hiding. What did he tell you earlier?"

"That he has things that he keeps locked inside, that he doesn't feel he can share with anyone. He said that once I can understand them and show him that I can handle these things he will tell me what they are slowly. Something about them being very difficult to talk about." Granity was silent a moment,

"Well, all we can do is be patient and show him we are here for him. Did he say anything about the promise you released him from." Granity had never agreed with Holly's decision on that and had always encouraged her to release him.

"He admitted that I hurt him deeply but that he wasn't up to discussing anything right now; though he appreciated being released from it." Granity nodded,

"I will work with him and see it I can help him. I think you broke some of his trust when you rejected him and then force him not to say anything else. It may be awhile before he feels he can share what he's hiding." Granity had always suspected that their dispute had caused a rift to form but she was never certain of it until now. * _He is definitely defensive… but he's also scared… he thinks she will reject him for his weird turn on and sexual habits…_ * "Holly after hearing all of that… would you reject him for his deviant behavior?"

"No, I wouldn't reject him. It does make me extremely uncomfortable though." Granity saw that as a good sign, *_ I'll work with her on it. For now she needs to de-stress._ *

"I'm glad you can accept him as he is. You may find is easier to talk about and think about such things as you learn about them. I believe he is trying to guide you so that he can trust you again fully. Listen to what he's telling you and look at what he's doing to guide you. I think those two things will reveal what he's hiding even before he tells you." Holly nodded; she hated to admit that the discussion had aroused her earlier which is why she was so uncomfortable. Granity smirked knowing full well why she was uncomfortable and whispered, "It's OK to feel aroused Holly. It's normal when talking about kinky sex to feel something." Holly gasped and looked like a child caught in the cookie jar. She moved to kiss Holly who was caught off guard by the sudden assault on her lips. She returned the kiss as Granity's hand moved soothingly over her back. Holly followed Granity to the bed, both women lying down with Granity's skillful hands caressing a shivering Holly. She moaned into the kiss as Granity touched her breast. Holly's hands tightening their grip on her in response to the pleasure she felt. Holly had only just learned to let go and be guided by Granity but the pleasure was definitely worth it, Granity would make sure Holly felt a lot better before they were ready to go back upstairs.

* * *

Genki meanwhile was putting his cakes in the bamboo steamer to cook. They were very simple to make, something he enjoyed. He had gotten his enjoyment of cooking from his mother and aunt, though he would say Holly had some influence on him as well. He knew he was weird but he wouldn't let anyone tell him he couldn't do what he enjoyed. After setting the timer he walked to his office to start his project, he knew it wouldn't take him long but he had other things to keep him occupied if he finished before the girls did. His mind was focused on his task and not on what they were doing, though he would defiantly be wondering about it later that night. His phone ringing interrupted his thoughts, he rose to answer it.

["_Hello?_"]

_["Genki are you able to talk right now?_"]

["_Yes mom, I have the day off._"] He heard her sigh and began to wonder what she was thinking about.

["_I would have called you sooner but I have been busy with work and getting my gift for your father ready."_] Genki chuckled,

[_"Mom you know he will love anything you do for him._"]

["_I know but this is our 25th year anniversary, I want it to be special._"]

["_I understand, just don't stress yourself out over it_."] He heard her laugh as his comment before she replied,

["_I won't don't worry. By the way why are you off today?_"]

["_I have administrative leave. We had a rough week and the boss insisted on making up for it by giving us the day off."_]

["_Spill, I know you are leaving something out."_] Genki sighed; he never could fool his mother.

["_Well… I took over as team leader since Saito is in the hospital."_]

["_Bike accident again?_"]

["_I believe so yes based on his injuries. Anyway the veterans didn't like me as the leader since I'm not a vet. One of them decided she knew more and tried to repair an electrical problem on the machine we were working on. I noticed what she was doing and got to her in time but was injured by the arc flash."_] He heard her gasp then speak in a very serious tone,

["_How bad is the burn?_"]

[_"Third degree at its core; second degree surrounding it. I went to the hospital; they treated me and gave me a couple of prescriptions. I've been having a friend help with bandage changes since I can't do it one handed._"]

[_"How long?_"]

["_At least a few weeks before it heals according to the doctor._"] He could practically see the worry and contemplation on her face as he waited for her to speak again.

["_I trust you won't be doing anything to strain it?_"]

["_You know I won't. I'm not stupid._"]

["_So was the issue taken care of at work?"_]

["_Yes, the boss took care of the issue. He gave me a permanent promotion and a pay raise as well. There shouldn't be any more issues._"] He heard her sigh,

["_I hope not, I don't need you in the hospital. Having one child to worry about is enough._"] He smiled and spoke gently,

["_You know I never try to worry you mom, I can't help my instinct to protect others._"]

["_I know, you got that from your father._"] He chuckled at this comment. ["_Genki about your sister, I'd like you to call her._"]

[_"May I ask why?"_]

["_She believes you hate her. You need to tell her how you actually feel._"]

["_Why would she believe I hate her?"]_

["_Because you yelled at her and told her never to call you again._"] Genki rolled his eyes,

["_That is **NOT **what I told her._"]

["_Tell me what you said._"]

["_Yes I did raise my voice as she was being selfish yet again. I told her not to call me again unless she was going to speak the truth. I have never told her in any way that I hate her. I'm just tired of her lies and her manipulation."_] His mother was quiet for a bit,

["_Genki called her, tell her you love her. Promise me you will get this taken care of. I don't want any hatred between my children. Your sister is many things, and yes she does a lot of bad things, but she is still your sister._"]

["_I promise I'll call her._"]

["_Thank you._"] Genki hesitated a moment,

["_Rei believes you are upset."_]

["_I am but I wasn't going to share with her not after the last time_."]

["_I understand… Can I help?_"] His mother seemed reluctant to tell him what was wrong.

[_"Kai… is in the hospital Genki…"_] her voice was extremely soft but he heard it. His eyes widened in shock, he felt his stress from early surge back but pushed it away. * No… I need to know what happened first. *

["_What happened to him?"_]

["_He tried to commit suicide…"_] Genki couldn't believe what he had just heard,

["_But he doesn't have…"_]

[_"He does… we missed it because his Anxiety is so bad."_]

["_Will he be alright?"]_

["_He's stable now and under watch. He should be fine."_]

[_"Cutting?"]_

[_"Yes…"_] Genki sighed; he took a few deep breaths, his mother waiting for him to calm himself before she spoke again. ["_Genki, don't feel as though it's your fault. You have done all you can for him, Kai must find the will to fight within himself. If he can't then he will never get better."_]

["_I know… I just wish I could do more…_"]

["_You have done enough… you have made enough sacrifices… its Kai's turn._"]

["_You thought Rei wouldn't care about him?_"] Genki asked at length,

["_I don't know if she would or not. And if I'm honest I don't want her knowing at this point. She does nothing but burden your brother."_]

["_I will speak with her about that but not tell her about his suicide attempt. She needs to leave him be."_] Genki's voice had changed to a neutral tone; this told his mother he was stressed.

["_Genki promise me you will relax this weekend._"]

["_I promise I will. I'm going to a party tomorrow with some friends so it shouldn't be too hard to find something to reduce my stress."] He paused a moment, ["Dad will be back Sunday right?"_]

[_"Yes, I haven't told your father about Kai yet. I didn't want him driving home under that kind of stress._"]

["_What hospital is Kai at?"_]

["_Tokyo General, he's on floor 5, room 34. Visitation is between 10 am and 8 pm."_] Genki wrote it down to make sure he wouldn't forget this information.

["_Alright, I'll make an effort of go see him._"]

[_"Don't overdo it, I know how you are about work and helping others."_]

["_I won't, I promise._"]

["_Good, I'll talk to you again soon. Get some rest son, I love you."_]

[_"I love you too mom."_] When she hung up Genki sat down, he lower his head into his hands as he dealt with that he had just heard, * _Kai… why didn't you say anything? I could have helped you..._* his subconsciously rubbed his own wrist thinking of what Kai had done. * _I should have checked on him more… I never realized he had depression… though it does explain a lot. He is battling two things and not winning against either. What was the trigger to start cutting though? That's what I need to know, I need to see if I can help. Assuming he will let me._ * Genki massaged his own temples and began some breathing exercises to deal with his stress. * _This is just the week that keeps on giving I swear… I hope next week is quieter._ * Genki groaned, his headache was back, * _I need some medication. It's not going away anytime soon, not now._ * He chuckled, * _Maybe Akame is right; I do need to get laid…. Though my morals won't let me just fuck someone as stress release._ * He frowned as he got up and walked it his medicine cabinet, he pulled out the pills he need and took them, and he then looked down at his arm. It would need to be changed before Holly left but it could wait for now. Walking back to his office he sat back down at his PC and attempted to finish what he started.

* * *

Downstairs the girls lay cuddling with each other under the covers, Granity's hand gentle stroking Holly's side. Granity had managed to get Holly to release her worries and sexual tension. * _She really needs to admit she really likes sex, she's just frustrating herself at this point._ * She smiled seeing Holly in her arms relaxing,

"You feeling better love?"

"Yes, very much so… thank you."

"You're very welcome, you know you really should just tell me when you need this. You know I don't mind helping you." Holly shifted the rest her head on Granity's shoulder now and sighed,

"I know… I guess I still just have a hard time admitting this is what I need." She looked up at Granity sheepishly,

"Silly girl there is no reason for you to feel that you are doing anything wrong by asking for help this way. You will only get better at talking about sex if you actually talk about it."

"Yes, you are right…"

"You know Genki seems very calm like I am. He would be another you can talk to about this topic without worrying about him judging you. He may even be able to answer things I can't since he may actually be far more experienced than me."

"But… how would he be more experienced?"

"Think about it. We don't know how often he was engaging in sex. We only know what he has told us. I did notice that he never seemed aroused or embarrassed by anything we spoke of. Even the kinkier topics didn't faze him." Holly pondered this a moment, she hadn't really thought about it due to her own embarrassment.

"Now that I think of it… even when Akame's girlfriend suggested a threesome he was unfazed. He said something about not being embarrassed anymore due to his exposure to it."

"A threesome?"

"Yeah… she was definitely flirting with him though he refused. Stating that he did not do that kind of behavior no matter how fun it might be."

"Well he definitely has standards, but we don't know if she was joking or not with him. He may have felt the need to clarify his position because you were there."

"You mean he thought I'd get the wrong idea if he didn't?"

"Yes, he seems very worried about how we see him, though at the same time I believe he's tired of hiding it as well." Holly was silent a moment before she spoke again,

"I think you're right… now that I think about it he's been very careful with how he's answered my questions."

"Holly, it's obvious to me he's scared, I could see it in his eyes earlier. He hides it extremely well, but not enough for me not to detect it. I believe he wants to make sure we understand him and not get the wrong idea about why he does things."

"What is he actually scared of though?"

"I can't say for sure but I believe rejection. Think about it, he said that not even Akame knew everything. It's obvious to me that whatever he's hiding is something that he believes could cause others to reject him."

"Now that you mention it; yeah it does seem like it. It seems he must want to be honest though otherwise he wouldn't be trying to guide me at all…"

"That's true… I think he wants help. He's just having a hard time trusting others right now it seems." Granity sighed, "as much as I would love to stay here all night with you, I think we should jump back. Genki needs to get some rest before he pops over and we have things we must do as well." Holly nodded and reluctantly let go of her, she got dressed as Granity started to make the bed. The girls tidied up the room before they left making it look presentable.

* * *

When they walked up stairs Genki was nowhere to be seen. They both could smell the fresh cakes and took a peek at them.

"These smell amazing…" Granity could hardly believe how nice they looked and smelled,

"Yes, I can't wait to try them tomorrow." * _He's much better of the cook than I originally thought. _* Holly suspected she knew where Genki had gotten off to. She lead Granity towards the office, sure enough he was working on something. He seemed to be skimming through some pages on his machine. Holly noticed he wore glasses, she assumed these were reading glasses, though she hadn't been aware he needed any.

"My, don't you look handsome with those on." Genki turned to Granity and gave her a smirk.

"Granity you don't need to hit on me; we already made our agreement earlier." She chuckled at him,

"So you need them to read?" Granity asked, knowing full well how curious Holly was though she was blushing a bit right now, obviously liking how Genki looked in spectacles.

"No, but they help with eye strain when I'm looking at the screen or reading for long periods of time." Granity seemed to be looking at what was on screen now,

"What are those?"

"That's what the characters of my language look like." He moved back to let Holly and Granity look at them.

"They do look a bit strange to me but perhaps that's because I can't read them." Granity shrugged, "What are you reading?"

"I'm looking up things about soil testing and what the ideal balance is for vegetables specifically." Genki then moved his mouse to click the upper right hand corner of the page. Holly gasped seeing the page turn to English. "If you'd like to read it as well you can."

"Multi-lingual, a baker, and handsome, aren't you going to be a handful." Granity chuckled, making him raise a brow at her.

"Aren't you flirty today? I don't think I've ever seen this side of you." He chuckled lightheartedly. Holly noticed there was a lot of information on the page about crops; some things she didn't know the meaning of. *_ He is very intelligent if he knows what all this means _*

"If I was really flirting then I'd be in your lap by now." She laughed at him, "We will get there but for now I'm just playful." She smirked at him as he gave her an incredulous look. Holly had gotten over her mild embarrassment from earlier and now decided to ask some questions of her own.

"Genki, there's a lot here I don't understand… do you understand all of this information?" He glanced over at her, he smiled to her and nodded, removing his glasses then began to speak as he focused on her.

"I understand it yes; most people my age have taken quite a few courses in science. The PH is simply the balance between acidic and alkaline soil. Most plants prefer acidic soil, so if the balance is off it could be a problem. Certain crops pull more nutrients from the soil than others. These extra nutrients have to be replaced either by decomposing matter or fertilizer; if they aren't the next crops planted will be sickly as best." He smiled to them knowing this was all new to them. He knew the monster world didn't have a formal education system for most of its inhabitants. Those they did get formal education were wealthy enough to afford it at one of the major cities.

"You're trying to figure out what happened to our other crops by looking at the soil balance?"

"Yes, I'm also going to test for contaminants as well. There are some elements that will kill plants if they are present." Holly nodded as she thought this over,

"You're suspecting something new in the soil because it just started happening?"

"Yes, it's highly likely though not the only possibility." He smiled, "As I said before I need to research all this because I'm not a farmer. I have only grown a few plants in the past and not in the ground."

"Potted plants?" Granity asked for clarification,

"Raised bed actually. It uses per-fertilized soil that is already balanced." he saw Granity nod at this, "I will have to order a testing kit though, I doubt our local guys have one this time of year. It should help assess the soil PH and what nutrients it might be lacking." Granity decided to divert Holly before she fussed over him spending money,

"Did you finish your video?"

"Yes, I did indeed. You'll get to see it tomorrow with the others." He saw her smile at this,

"Sounds fun, though we may have to tie up Colt if she gets too rambunctious." They all laughed a this knowing full well how bouncy she was,

"Genki, those cakes look amazing, I look forward to trying them." Holly smiled, defiantly wanting to try some.

"Thanks, let me know if you want the recipe. I'll be happy to pass it along." She nodded to him,

"We both need to get going but I want to change your bandage first." He nodded, he down sized his screen then hit a button on his monitor pausing what he was doing.

* * *

Holly walked back out into the kitchen with Genki following, he grabbed the bowl from the other night and a new cloth. Filling the bowl with warm water he placed it on the table and took a seat. Granity sat across from him took his free hand. He glanced to her questioningly,

"Squeeze my hand if you need."

"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't don't worry." He nodded, Holly walked over having cleansed her hands. Slowly she began to unwrap his arm, he hissed as the bandage was pulled. Grunting he spoke to her through the pain,

"You may have to loosen it up with some water. I think it's stuck." Holly nodded, taking the wet cloth she applied it to the stuck gauze, slowly it came loose. His grip on Granity tightened as he dealt with his pain. Holly was careful but though in her cleaning of his wound. Granity's eyes showed concern as she saw its full extent. She had heard it was bad from Tiger but hadn't realized it was this bad. After Holly finished cleaning it she gave him a bit to recover, she knew this was excruciating for him even if he never cried out. She brought the ointment over and began to slowly apply it, giving it time to soak in before she applied the next bandage. Once she had him all bandaged up she moved to gently rub his back. He slowly relaxed, "Thank you Holly, Granity."

"You're welcome it's the least I could do." Granity smiled to him, "you look tense still." she observed,

"I'll be fine; I will relax later tonight before bed." Granity rose and walked behind him; she gently placed her hands on his shoulders and began to give him a massage. Genki had stiffened initially but soon relaxed, she had definitely caught him off guard. * S_o he is sensitive to touch huh? _*

"I don't think merely relaxing would get rid of these knots in your muscles." Her hands continued to move purposely, Genki sighed and leaned forward for her, removing the chair from the equation. "Lean onto the table." She spoke softly in his ear, it made him shiver slightly. He obeyed resting his head on his arms. She smirked noticing the reaction from him but didn't say anything. She glanced to Holly who gave her a look of intrigue and confusion. *_ She must have noticed his reaction as well. Perhaps he does get aroused; he just internalizes it to keep from being embarrassed. This will be interesting to test how he reacts to me in the next few weeks. I'm a bit more observant that Holly when it comes to more intimate things; maybe I can figure out what he's up to. _* What Granity couldn't see was that he was struggling not to moan during the massage. He hadn't felt anything this good in a long time; he didn't visit massage parlors because he would often embarrass himself.

* _Damn this feels so good…. It's hard not to vocalize what I'm feeling. If Holly wasn't here I might let it out but I seriously don't need to be moaning in pleasure with her here. She already thinks I'm weird as it is._ * When Granity found a tender knot by his spine he hissed slightly, he felt her hands skillfully assessing the knot gently.

"Do you need me to move?" Came his muffled voice when she pressed on it again.

"Yes, I need you to relax that area of your back." Genki pulled back,

"Let me switch positions then." He got up then flipped the chair around sitting in it backwards. "Will this work?" Granity felt the area again,

"Yes it's a bit more relaxed now. This one might hurt at first, it's very tight." Genki felt her hands working the knot again, he hissed again but tried to remain still and relaxed. Finally it released, he let go a sigh; glad it had finally let go. Granity massaged his whole back making sure he felt better as he leaned against the chair back. "There you go."

"Thanks, I feel much better."

"You defiantly had a lot of stress built up. If you need another massage just ask, I don't mind helping you relax." He nodded as he stood up; Granity smirked and leaned forward whispering hotly into his ear, "Besides it's not every day that I get to massage a muscular hunk like you, it was a real pleasure for me." She pulled back to see his reaction and wasn't disappointed. He looked both stunned and embarrassed, his cheeks tinted slightly. He cleared his throat and shook off the reaction quickly, but it had been there long enough for her to notice. She glanced at Holly who also looked stunned but obviously because of what she had managed to achieve and not what Granity had said. Holly hadn't heard her words she had only seen the results.

"I'll keep that in mind for later Granity. Thank you for helping with both my pain and stress." He had adopted a neutral tone now but it only made her chuckle. He turned his attention to Holly who looked confused, "I'll jump across just after 5 pm, that way I can arrive early enough to show you all the machine video before the festival starts. Can you have Tiger waiting for me?" Holly nodded,

"Yes, I can make sure he is there. Are you sure you can jump without a problem?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." He paused a moment, "do you want me to bring my medical kit for later or do you want to jump in the morning?" Holly seemed to think about it for a moment,

"I'll jump in the morning." He nodded,

"Alright, let's call the others and let them know you are on your way back." Granity nodded, agreeing that it was best to have an escort. Holly walked to the receiver and made the call once done they would wait ten minutes. Holly looked to where Genki was suddenly remembering something,

"Genki did you find the conversion rate for the gold?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd tell everyone at once. My assessment was right though."

"So it is worth more?"

"Yes, I'll explain everything tomorrow." She nodded, "Holly I can't say for sure but watch out for Hare… he bought that wine for a reason. You know how mischievous he can be when it comes to pranks." Holly nodded; Granity too looked thoughtful and concerned.

"We will keep an eye on him." He smiled, soon the time arrived and he reactivated the portal. He let Granity watch this time so she would know how it worked on his side as well.

"Granity just so you know when it's open from your world to this one it requires my timing my button press with the pedestal button. On the way back it doesn't seem to require it though."

"That seems strange…"

"It is, I have a few theories on how it actually works but I'm not certain of anything on it. I may be able to rig up something for you guys to activate it without me doing anything on my side."

"Genki we don't need to show up unannounced…" Holly stated,

"I was thinking in case of emergencies actually."

"We'll discuss it later. Make sure you get some rest. No doubt you'll be required to dance." Granity smirked at him as he raised a brow at that.

"I'll be rested and awake don't worry." Soon the gate opened, Holly hesitated a moment before jumping in. "Give her a minute to get out of the way." Granity nodded, waiting before jumping across herself. He smiled as he closed the gate seeing them on the other side briefly safe and sound before the screen went black. He was glad to see Granity had returned to her normal form as predicted. Powering off the machine he sighed relaxing at bit more now that they couldn't see the stress he was carrying. Granity had relaxed his body but not his mind. He rose and walked to the kitchen to tell the others they had made it across safely. After receiving the thanks from Holly's father Genki headed upstairs to a room Holly had not seen. He removed all but his boxers and moved to the center of the room. Slowly he began to do some yoga trying to relax his mind and spirit. Eventually he sat down lotus style and began to meditate. He would do this until he felt a release; otherwise he was libel to get moody with people. He would prepare for his jump across in the morning before bed but right now his mind needed rest.

* * *

Holly returned to find Colt and Suezo going at it, she sighed at this now extremely grateful that Granity had helped her relax before their return. The trip back with Tiger had been very quiet, Holly had told Tiger Genki's message and he had readily agreed to meet him at the appointed time. Hare noticed the new blade Holly carried; it confused him to see such a decorative blade which wasn't her style at all.

"Holly how'd everything go?"

"Akame said she'd have my blade done in a few days. Genki seems to have gotten the conversion done on his side for our golds to his yen. He said he'd talk to everyone about it when he comes across." Hare nodded then pointed at the blade she carried.

"What about that dagger though?"

"Genki loaned this to me just in case we have another run in with the bandits. He said he wanted to make sure I was safe." Colt had overheard and was intrigued now; she looked at the blade as Holly took it off her belt.

"Holly can I look at it a moment?" Holly nodded and let Colt draw it. She looked it over before putting it away then giving it back. "It's defiantly well-made though very decorative…"

"Genki told me it was his grandfather's from when he was an officer in the royal navy. He said it kept his grandfather safe and it would do the same for me." Holly's father looked intrigued now and spoke carefully,

"I take it his grandfather is no longer around?" Holly nodded,

"Unfortunately he died some time ago, he didn't say when but he was very close to his grandfather." Suezo seemed surprised by this news then adopted a serious tone.

"I'm surprised he let you borrow that if that's the case."

"I was unsure of why he did so as well Suezo but he insisted upon it. I think it was his way of showing me that he not only trusts me with it but that he cares. He sees all of us as family; he's very close to all of us." Yosho decided to probe a bit more now, he was curious about Genki's family.

"Holly, has Genki told you much about his family?" She glanced to her father knowing he was probing again, she suspected he cared for Genki as an adoptive son.

"He has told me some things yes." Mocchi seemed excited to hear about this,

"Really Chi?"

"Can you tell us a little about his standing with them?"

"You're worried about him?" She challenged her father's line of thinking causing him to sweat drop. His daughter knew him well, so he just nodded. She sighed, thinking over what she had learned,

"I don't know what he'd like me to share about his relationship with his family members. I will leave out specifics but I do know he is very close to his parents; they seem to have a strong bond. He has a rocky relationship with his sister; she seems to be the trouble maker of the family. I overheard him arguing with her while I was visiting though I don't know what was said but I can say he was livid with her. As for his brother… he seems to have a… challenging relationship with him. His brother has some issues to work through and Genki has tried to help. From what I heard his brother has been ignoring the help and not really dealing with things well. It seems to frustrate Genki but he doesn't seem willing to give up on his brother just yet. The only thing he stated for certain was that there is always drama in his family." Holly knew Genki might be angry again if she relieved everything, Granity understood what Holly was doing and decided to support her if the others probed further.

"I get the impression you know more then you are saying." Her father was as observant as ever, she shook her head.

"It's not my place to say the rest, if you want to know then ask him yourself." Holly's eyes told him she wouldn't budge on this and he nodded his understanding. Colt noticed the book Holly pulled from her bag now,

"Holly did he give you that?"

"Yes he did." Holly let Colt look it over,

"This seems very complex…"

"I'm not sure if I'll understand it or not but he wanted me to give it a try."

"Any reason why?" Her father was curious now,

"Genki wants to discuss some things with me but he wasn't sure if I would understand them. So he decided that maybe if I read this book I would have a rough understanding of what he wants to discuss. He said it would help to have at least some knowledge beforehand as things could get very confusing without it."

"So what is psychology?" Colt seemed very curious now, though she had skimmed the book it seemed all over the place to her.

"He said it was the study of the human mind and how it works." Holly shrugged still uncertain of it.

"Damn I knew he was smart…"

"He seems to be able to learn rapidly but he has a lot of resources to learn from" Granity spoke now giving Holly a break.

"Oh?" Hare looked intrigued, "what resources?"

"Well for one he has a library in his home. I was able to see it before we left. It's fairly sizable and had plenty of different topics. But I also noticed he had one of his machines that was able look up information as well. He was reading up on how to balance and test soil for planting crops before we jumped back." Holly's father looked impressed,

"I take it he heard about our vegetable garden then?"

"Yes, I mentioned it the other night, he figured out we need supplies. Speaking of, were you able to complete the list Hare?" Hare nodded,

"Yes, it's all done now. Just waiting for you to double check it." Holly nodded her confirmation that she would do so.

"So the kid has money huh? Most people don't own a library even a small one." Tiger broke the silence, everyone was thinking it. Holly and Granity exchanged a glance before Holly spoke again,

"He is well off yes; I'm not certain how wealthy he is." Hare looked thoughtful now, "He definitely has plenty of food and other supplies. I haven't seen him lacking anything." Granity now entered in to the conversation again.

"He has a nice home as well, it's pretty large actually. He hasn't said anything about money but I get the impression that he isn't worried about it at all." Yosho seemed to ponder something a moment before he asked his daughter a question,

"Holly did he or this blacksmith mention the price of your dagger?" Holly shook her head,

"No, I get the impression they have an agreement already. Neither mentioned it, nor did he mention what I would owe him. It didn't occur to me at the time actually to even ask Akame about it."

"That's strange…" Tiger mumbled, Hare shook his head.

"Well it's obvious to me what he's up to. He knows the price here for a weapon and what other things cost. If he is as well off as we believe I think he's trying to remove the strain on us by paying for it. He did say he had extra money set aside but never said how much it was. It's possible he spoke to Akame beforehand and told her not to mention the blade price."

"As much as I hate it, Hare is right. He wants to help us that is for certain. I doubt we will know exactly how much he spends helping us." Yosho now looked to his daughter wondering if she would ever talk to the boy about being together. * _At least I know she'd be well taken care of… still neither of them seem willing to try… I am really beginning to wonder what that argument was about all those years ago._* Granity decided to change the subject back to what they needed to get done.

"Alright, so what do we still need to finish before tonight?" The boys stared at her a moment before Hare took over.

"Well the dinner will need preparing but we got the decorations up, the fire pit has plenty of logs to keep it going. I think we got everything else done as well." Holly and Granity nodded to each other, and then walked off towards the kitchen knowing it'd be a long day. Holly had been awake a lot longer than the others; her night would be extremely tiring.

* * *

Genki managed to get some sleep though it was only a short nap. His meditation had helped a great deal with his stress, he certainly felt a lot better. He made his coffee and drank two cups to wake himself back up. He grabbed his bag; it was filled with everything he needed to bring, including his cakes. As he waited for the appropriate time to arrive to jump, he thought about what Granity had done earlier. * _Wasn't ready for her to be that playful. I know she was joking but still it caught me off guard. I haven't been off balance like that in a long time, guess I got used to Akame's brand of embarrassment. I'll have to be more careful and feel things out with Granity. I wonder how she will react if I moan during a massage? She might take it as a compliment._* he snorted thinking of how she had almost seductively spoke to him, * _who knew she'd be that bold. She's never shown me this side of her before; I'll have to be respectful of her trust. Though if she keeps that behavior up she is probably going to arouse me eventually. It might be better to speak to her about it before she manages it. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable with our relationship. Whatever that relationship may actually be… _* He was still confused on the whole bonding thing, he got the impression she want to bed him like she did Holly but he wasn't entirely sure. He wouldn't jump to conclusions though; he would wait for her to guide him to that if that's truly what she wanted. * _It's a damn good thing Akame and I were heavy into the whole discipline side of things. Otherwise I might have more control issues. I know Pixie's have an allure to them but I don't know if it's something they activate on purpose or not. If it is subconscious then it might prove problematic even with my disciplined control. _* He smiled as he realized Granity might just be able to understand him, though he was doubtful Holly could. She had way too much trouble just talking about normal sex; there was no way she would get into the kinkier side of things enough to truly understand. * _I wonder how open Granity actually is to new things? Guess we shall see as we get to know each other. _* As the time arrived he put his bag on carefully and fired up his side of the portal. Once open he jumped a crossed, easily landing without hurting himself further. When he walked of the platform he saw Tiger waiting for him.

"Right on time kid." Tiger grinned at him,

"I try to be, I hope things have been quiet."

"They have, the bandits seem to have left the area for now. Probably decided it was too dangerous after Holly and Colt killed their leader." Genki nodded as he walked along side Tiger.

"Sounds wise on their part." Tiger decided to ask something that was bothering him,

"Genki how much will Holly's blade cost?" Genki glanced over at him; he saw the wolf monster watching him intently.

"Why do you want to know Tiger?"

"I'm curious." Genki sighed,

"It's around 30,000 yen; don't worry about the price though." Tiger tilted his head, "You'll understand when I tell you all about the conversion rate." Tiger looked even more confused now,

"Kid you are seriously confusing sometimes."

"It will make sense soon. Besides, this is a gift for Holly. I wasn't able to be there for her birthday this year, and though we spoke I still felt bad for missing it. Think of it as a late birthday gift." Tiger shook his head,

"Genki you know she understood you had to work. That wasn't your fault."

"Perhaps but if I hadn't be so preoccupied I could have taken the day off."

"Holly would never want you to go out of your way for her."

"That may be true Tiger but I believe she deserves to be appreciated. She does a lot for everyone and never asks for anything in return. I want to do this for her." Tiger smirked,

"I won't say anything, you can tell her yourself." Genki nodded as they walked up to the house.

* * *

Mocchi was the first to spot them and run over to Genki, he was careful not to hurt Genki's arm when he hugged him. Yosho noticed the large bandage, he had heard about the burn the young man had received. He noticed Genki was careful with his arm making sure to not stress it as he did things.

"Hey guys, everything going well?"

"Yep we are already chi!" Genki chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Glad to hear it." He saw Colt looking a little sheepish, "I'm not mad at you Colt."

"I wasn't sure how you felt after the other night…" Genki sighed,

"I was a little annoyed with you but not angry. Let's just move past that alright?" She nodded making the rest of the group smile. Holly smiled as she walked out of the house with Granity in tow. She had already spoken to Colt, apparently the girl need to hear it from Genki though to believe her. Genki pulled his pack off and set it down careful of his wound. He pulled something out, "Colt, come here please." Colt looked curious and walked forward, Genki pulled the small camera he had with him out and gave it to her. She looked it over not sure what to make of it. He pushed the button on top and the camera sprang to life, the lens opening and adjusting outward. "I told you I'd bring you a camera, this way you can photograph what you see in the ruins. It runs off battery power; I have a solar charger for it so its battery can be recharged. The lens will auto adjust for you, to take a photo hit this button. I will get a hold of a way for you to store and print out photos later. For now it will store them internally as data." Colt looked shocked,

"So it doesn't need film?"

"No as long as it has space in its memory banks it will continue to store photos. There are other settings; I brought the manual for it with me so you can learn those as well. Some are for long shots other for close range. It had a built in flash for dark areas as well."

"So you're just giving this to me."

"Yes, it's an older camera I haven't used in a while. I was planning on getting rid of it anyway. Figured I might as well give it to someone who really needs it." He shrugged, Colt had a delayed reaction but suddenly Genki found himself pulled into a tight hug. He had just enough time to get his arm out of the way before she had grabbed him. He grunted as she knocked the wind out of him.

"OH MY PHOENIX! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" she bounced up and down while holding onto him, Genki managed to grab hold of her and held her still.

"I'm glad you like it Colt but you don't have to strangle me to prove it." He managed to state while gasping for air.

"Oh?!" she released him, as he took in a deep breath trying to recover. He felt a little light headed after being half strangled by her hug. Granity helped Genki recover, checking on him as Holly calmed Colt down. * _Dear Kami she is strong… wasn't expecting that._ * Hare looked on sympathetically; he had dealt with this on more than one occasion. When Genki recovered he pulled the charger and manual from his pack and handed it to Colt. Colt squealed and ran off to her iron bird with it.

"Well you made her happy…." Hare watched her skipping away.

"Apparently so…." Genki shook his head,

"So are cameras cheap or something?"

"Those point and shot ones are yes. My new one was rather pricey but has more abilities than a basic camera. It even has an IR mode."

"IR?"

"Inferred, it uses special light to see in really dark locations. It can't see in color while using it but it can see in a pitch black room. Or in my case a cave, as that was why I bought it." He smiled, he carefully pulled out the cakes he had made, and Holly walked over and took them from him.

"I'll put these inside with our stuff." He nodded; he then pulled out his laptop. He had already uploaded the video to it. Colt came back and noticed the device immediately,

"What's that?"

"This is my laptop; it's a small computer that's portable." He placed it down and opened it up, pressing the button he let it boot up. Colt watched fascinated as the screen changed,

"Can you read what it was doing?"

"No, that was a self-test, if it finds a problem it will pause the screen so I can see it." Holly walked around so she could see the screen, when the lock screen came up he pressed a button. I brought up a box asking for the password. He typed it in and pressed enter.

"Was that code?"

"No just a password. It's set to my native language Colt." Soon the desktop loaded and he used the touch pad to double click the file. After a few seconds the computer loaded up the corresponding program to open it and the file also loaded. "Alright, I tried to make the video easy to follow but I can clarify anything that confuses you if needed." He saw the group nod though they looked confused already.

"So is that the machine?" Hare asked intrigued by how it looked.

"Yes, that's what it looks like. The one in the video will be missing some covers so you can see its internal workings." He then ran the video; they could see his coworker log into the computer. After it logged in it ran through a series of checks including lighting up all the lights. "The computer is testing the machine, which includes the lights and all lines of communication. Once it loads we tell it what we want it to do. The first test is called a fan sort test; it basically forces the machine to use all of its gates at once. It's a form of stress test since normal operation won't require all gates to be active at the same time." They saw the gates activate and mail shaped cards snap into each packet simultaneously. They also saw it sort top to bottom. Once done they saw a new set of cards being added to the machine. These cards flashed on screen for them to see in greater detail. "This card tests the ID tag reader; it uses florescent ink on the back of the mail piece. This one is the post net code, it has less information that the ID tag but can also be used by the machine to sort the mail. If it has neither of these then it reads that actual address using a camera. If it can't read it, it will reject it." The next image showed the ID tag reader head and the camera, "That ID tag reader, this is the camera. In order to do a proper test at least 1000 mail pieces need to be sorted. It gives a good ratio of how well it's reading. In our case we ran 5000 pieces, you'll see us grab mail from the machine pockets and run it back in order to make the 5000 mark." The machine fired up, first flashing lights and beeping, next the belts fired up. The camera focused on the feeder as the opening was closed and the machine began to rapidly feed mail. The camera moved the reader module where the gates were located; they could see the gates rapidly changing positions. Soon it slowed down and they could see the reader camera flash as the letter moved around the wheels through the belt system until the gates changed positions to direct it to the correct area. Once normal speed resumed the camera moved to the pockets where the mail was slotting into its destination. After the 5000 was met they could see a black bar on screen with a clear 3 next to it.

"What does that mean?" Colt pointed it out.

"Those were mechanical rejects; we found 3 defective cards that had somehow been damaged. It couldn't quite sort them so it put them in the reject pile."

"Is that the speed?"

"Yes, it ran at 43,000 letters per hour. That was the target speed. The computer estimates it by extrapolating its current numbers."

"How? I mean it seems to be able to think for its self…"

"That's because it can Colt. It has a simplistic AI or Artificial Intelligence. It can do calculations all on its own without any extra input." Genki smiled to her as she looked extremely surprised,

"So it can actually think for its self?"

"Yes that's what we crated it to do, though it has limits. That's why it can read and make decisions all on its own." He down sized the video and pulled up another program. He then opened a specific tab, what they saw was a page of code. "This is the code the machine speaks. I wrote this small program to show you how it works. If you see this decision tree here" He pointed to it on screen, Colt looked it over and smiled.

"It's asking if the value is greater is that 1 correct?"

"Yes, can you follow its logic?" She pointed to the next line down,

"If it greater than 1 then it does this?"

"Yes, and if it's not?"

"It goes to this line?"

"Yes."

"This is a little easier than I thought it'd be to follow…" He chuckled,

"Most programming is about defining variables and making the machine ask the correct questions. It will only do what you program it to do. Mind there are occasions where a weird variable or a mistake in the code with make it act strange and do something unexpected. But a good programmer can find these mistakes." He saw them all nod, "The machine that sorts mail is asking a lot of questions all at once. It's asking where that mail piece is, where should it be going, which gate needs to fire and when to get it there. Most of these are structured as if then or else questions though some are true and false." He smiled to Mocchi as he flipped tabs back and complied the small program. "Mocchi come here." He did so and sat on Genki's lap, "Use the touch pad to move the pointer, then click were you want to put your mark. You get to place tic-tac-toe against the computer."

"OK chi." they watched as Mocchi played and the computer responded.

"This is amazing…" Hare said at length,

"It can play chess too if you want to try Hare. Don't be surprised if you lose though. I have yet to beat this thing on the higher difficulty setting. It thinks too far in advance for me." Hare gave him a look that told him he didn't quite believe him.

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

"This I have got to see…." Mocchi finished a few games almost losing when the computer did a move he hadn't expected.

"This is fun chi!"

"Hare you want to try?" Hare nodded. He got out of that program and brought up the chess program. It was still set to expert difficulty so he started a new game. "There you go, give it a shot." He got out of the way as Hare began to play. He could see the others now understood things much better.

"So kid is this like the games you play?"

"No, mine are far more advanced than a simple chess game. I'll show you some later, but we don't have enough time for those right now." Yosho decided to probe the young man a bit now,

"So that code is what you write for your job correct?"

"Yes, that's what my main task is. We do debugging and troubleshooting as well of code that's not working properly." He nodded,

"That seems like a very skilled job then. Definitely not something you can just jump into. I can understand now why you had such a hard time describing it to us."

"I had to spend 4 years in school to learn how to code like that. So yes it is a highly skilled trade, though there is no better teacher then experience. Sometimes different code types interact strangely together. You won't read about such reactions but you can see it when you force them to work together. There are at least six main different codes for machines, not all of them mesh well together. Knowing which ones to use together really comes from experience with each code. My team has specialists, each of us specializes in one code but know the others." Yosho nodded as if something had been confirmed for him, he then looked Genki in the eye as he spoke,

"I imagine it pays very well then." It wasn't a question so much as a statement, Genki's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to figure out Yosho's motives, when Genki finally responded the others all seemed to have noticed the tension between the two men.

"It does yes, though that was not why I went into programming or why I chose it as my occupation." Yosho smiled,

"Why did you choose it?"

"I wanted to make games, I haven't found an opening to get into that field but this is just as fulfilling. I enjoy a good challenge and each program has its own unique challenges."

"So you would have chosen it regardless of the pay involved?"

"Yes, money has never been a main motivation for anything I do." Yosho chuckled, and then gave the confused young man a smile.

"Sounds like you have found something worth doing in life then. That's good. Far too many worry about money and never enjoy themselves."

"I have already seen how destructive that path can be, I didn't need to experience it to know I wanted to avoid it." Genki didn't elaborate anymore but Yosho had seen the look in his eyes that he knew hardship and had seen a lot more than the others knew. The rest of the gang had question marks floating around them unsure of what had just happened. Hare shook off the weird conversation and went back to his game, while Tiger decided to ask a question of his own.

"So kid, by what you just said you are pretty well off then financially?" Genki turned his attention to the wolf monster,

"I am yes, why do you ask?" * _What is will all the financial questions? Seriously none of them usually care about money. _*

"I think I understand now why you are helping so much and why you aren't worried about what you will spend." Genki sighed, and shook his head.

"It isn't just that Tiger; I told you before you would understand better when I told you the conversion rate." Before anyone could ask about that they heard Hare cussing at the computer.

"I think this thing cheats!" Genki chuckled,

"Hare don't be a sore loser; I told you it would beat you."

"It seriously pulled a move out of nowhere!"

"It does that. When on that difficulty level it will think 6 to 8 moves ahead. It makes it extremely challenging. You lasted quite a while against it though, so you did extremely well."

"6 to 8 moves ahead?" Hare cried then his ears drooped as he sighed, the others laughed at him as he pouted. Holly decided to bring the topic back to where it was heading, she had wanted to know that answer for a while now.

"So what is the conversion rate Genki?" Holly asked. Genki smiled to her,

"My suspicion was correct; your currency is worth more than my own. Each gold is about 28 grams in weight and it's made of 18 karat gold. That means each one is worth approximately 134,000 yen."

"WHAT!?" The gang all yelled looking stunned, Hare was the first to recover asking for clarification.

"Are… you serious right now?!"

"I am; I wouldn't lie about something like this." Holly felt faint; Granity had grabbed hold of her to steady her. Granity smiled, she had figured he wasn't worried about money though this wasn't the reason she imagined. * _Even if they had been worthless to him he still would help us. It's the way he is. _* She glanced to Holly as she slowly recovered, * _though I'm betting Holly never thought our currency would be so valuable._ * Golem was currently waving his hand in front of Suezo who remained frozen in shock. Tiger shook off his stunned look before softly saying,

"That's why you weren't concerned…"

"I told you it would make sense. Based on what you gave me before Hare, the supplies you need for the village will already be covered. That's why I didn't accept any more money from you all. I wanted to be sure of the conversion rate before I accepted anything else." Yosho hadn't realized their currency rates were so different. In fact he hadn't given it much thought at all.

"Genki, why is our currency worth more?" Genki glanced over at the older man seeing his confusion,

"As I told Hare before it's because it's actually made of gold. The currency in my world, well for most countries, is not made of gold. It's made from paper that holds value simply because the government says it has value. Currency value is based on many things but each country in my world has a different value rating. For example it takes roughly 108 yen to equal 1 dollar of value in the United States. Believe me things get complicated fast between countries due to exchange rates being so vastly different. I've dealt with some of the exchange rates before when I did some traveling but it's not something that happened very often."

"Why not use gold then?" Colt asked still confused by the whole matter.

"We did at one point. It changed later because of the scarcity of gold. Gold is only valuable because it's rare after all. So as inflation created problems with the economy they removed the gold standard in favor of this new currency." He shrugged, "this happened before my time so I'm not sure of the circumstances surrounding the decision. Each country seems to have phased out gold at different time periods throughout history."

"When did it phase out in your country?"

"In the 1930's I think, not positive on that but it's an educated guess on my part. Based on what was happening at the time in the world."

"What was happening?"

"The great depression in the US, it wiped out their economy entirely and hurt several other countries. It was also between the two world wars. A lot of the weird policy changes happened then and I know we didn't have the gold standard after the Second World War. To me it makes sense that it disappeared before the war not after."

"Why would that make sense kid?"

"Because we lost that war, that's why. My country got involved and got their ass kicked by the US. It was foolish on our part to begin with but it did devastate our country enough that we wouldn't have pulled the gold standard after the war. We didn't have the resources to be messing with the economy by then." He shrugged, though they all seemed unsure of how to deal with this new information. "It should mention both wars in the one history books I gave you Hare."

"Genki, you said you grandfather was a navy officer in a war right?" Holly asked tentatively. Genki turned his attention to her and nodded,

"Yes, he was a high ranking officer for the royal navy in the second world war."

"Did he say why he was involved?" Holly seemed unsure of how touchy this subject might be; Genki chuckled catching the group off guard.

"Well now I know you didn't read either of those books if you are asking that question. He was involved because he was drafted by the government, he was given no choice. You either fought for your country or you were imprisoned for treason. Sometimes executions took place as well. You did not tell the emperor you were not going to fight, plus there was the whole family honor thing at play at the time as well. Dishonorable acts often resulted in entire families being labeled as out casts." He shrugged again, "The US did a similar thing; it also drafted people for war. It's pretty common actually." He could tell Holly wasn't sure how to respond to his indifference on the matter.

"So he was forced to fight?" Tiger said at length,

"Yes. He just happened to be a good enough leader to progress up the ranks. He received several Medals of Honor for what he was able to accomplish. Even if we ultimately lost, he still saved as many lives as he could. Plus he was imprisoned for a while anyway after the US conquered us. He was only released after the war was over."

"Wait you were conquered?" Colt looked confused,

"That was over 70 years ago Colt. The US helped us rebuild after the war and has been a close ally since." He could see the group wasn't sure how to deal with this new information but he was sure the topic would come up again. Colt seemed to be taking notes on all this.

"I'd definitely be interested in that book Hare has. Your world sounds fascinating."

"Don't you mean scary?" Suezo stated,

"No, it's just different. It's not like we haven't had wars here in the past." Colt calmly stated as she finished her notes. Genki chuckled, at their interaction.

"Well I'm sure you can look through it later. If you have anything specific you need information on then let me know." She grinned at him and nodded her confirmation that she definitely would be letting him know.

* * *

He glanced to his watch and noticed the time, "Guys what time are we supposed to be at the gathering place?"

"Just before 6 o'clock." Holly replied automatically,

"Well it's about ten till right now." Holly nodded, and then glanced to the others. Hare, Granity, Colt, and Holly all walked into the house the gather things. Genki put his stuff away and placed his pack inside Holly's home. He then grabbed the cakes he had brought from where Holly had placed them. He followed the others to where they were supposed to meet. He noticed the other villagers smiled to him as he walked over and placed his food down. There was a huge bonfire already roaring, some meat cooking by it. He could see the villagers had definitely wanted to make this as fun as possible. He could see a few instruments sitting nearby; it would be a rare night for him hearing their music. * _Though I suppose they have never heard mine…_ * he smiled to the villagers as they acknowledged him. He returned to where Holly and Granity had set up the blanket for their group. Golem already had his rocks and looked to be all set for his night. Genki had only attended a few festivals in the past, but he knew everyone enjoyed them. He settled down next to Granity and Holly as they waited for the village elder to start the festival. Once the elder arrived and dedicated the festival everyone grabbed some chow. Genki hung back letting the others get theirs first. He was always patient when it came to things like this and he wanted to make sure everyone who needed it had their fill. After all he had plenty of food at home; the village had been through a hard year. He chatted with various people after he had eaten; everyone always enjoyed talking with him it seemed. Genki noticed a few of the women whispering and grew suspicious, whispering while looking at him usually meant he'd either be annoyed or unsure of how to deal with what they threw his way. Holly seemed to notice as well,

"Genki… we have a question for you." Two of the women came forward, the older lady speaking in this case.

"Yes?"

"Did your wife make those cakes?" Genki was taken aback a moment, he then shook his head chuckling, noting that Holly looked amused now.

"No, I did. I'm not married." Both women seemed unsure of what to say so he decided to add, "My mother taught me when I was young. I've always enjoyed cooking." He could see they were still a little unsure, one of the elder ladies who overheard cackled at them.

"See I told you he's resourceful, but you never believe me." Genki smiled kindly to the grandmotherly woman. One of the boys who had overheard this whole thing blurted out,

"Why would that be resourceful? That's not exactly a manly thing to be doing." The boy huffed seemingly offended that cooking was part of being resourceful. His mother immediately snapped at him, "

"Thomas you are being rude!" Genki chuckled at this and waved the mother off.

"So you think cooking isn't manly huh?" He walked up to the boy who stood his ground and glared at Genki. * _He's got guts that's for sure._ *

"That's right!"

"What about all those famous chefs? Are they not manly because they cook?" The boy scoffed,

"They are just sissy's"

"Thomas!" his mother was appalled at his behavior but Genki again waved her off.

"Ok, then what do you see as manly then?" Genki asked raising a brow at the boys glare,

"Hunting, fishing, camping, stuff like that." The boy replied somewhat annoyed with this whole thing.

"Alright, so are you telling me you never cook fish while camping? Or are you eating it raw?"

"Don't be gross you can't eat fish raw!"

"Then you are cooking it."

"That's different!" The boy yelled panicking a bit now,

"How is it different?" Genki probed further,

"It just is."

"I see, well let me tell you something young man. There is no difference, you want to eat you learn to cook. It's as simple as that."

"How would a sissy like you know? My dad could beat you any day!"

"Oh? You think I don't have strength just because I can cook? Those two skills are not at all related."

"You're just a chicken." Genki noticed the boy's father nearby; he was frowning and looked rather upset with his son. Genki grinned and decided to prove a point.

"Anton, would you be willing to have a friendly wrestling match?" Anton looked shocked at the suggestion,

"What about your arm? I heard you were hurt badly."

"I'll be fine as long as you don't grab the wound." Genki met the older man's gaze telling him silently he was going to teach his son something. Anton nodded, Genki pointed to the open field and the pair walked over there. Holly gave Genki a look that said he was being stupid but he ignored her. Thomas was so sure his father would win and prove this guy was a sissy, what he didn't know was that strength was not something you can see in a person. The two men faced off, Genki had his left arm pulled back so that it was out of the way of their first clash. Everyone was watching this exchanged, it made it all the more rewarding for Genki. Soon Anton ran at him, Genki met him in the clash and didn't even budge from where he stood, with rapid reflexes Genki shoved the man back then grabbed him and lifted him up. Anton soon found himself flipped over with Genki pinned him to the ground. Once Genki had proved his point he let Anton up and helped him to his feet.

"Wow you pack a punch Genki, didn't realize just how strong you were till now."

"I'm just well-toned is all." Genki smiled, Thomas looked like his world had shattered.

"That can't be…" Genki walked up to Thomas and knelt down to the boy's level to look him in the eye.

"Not everything is black and white Thomas. Being a man is not about doing manly things it's about what's in here." He tapped on the boy's chest right over his heart. "You remind me of my little brother, always focusing on the wrong things. What matters is if you are happy with who you are, it's not about what other people think." He ruffled the boys hair, "You will understand better as you get older but for now just know that there are very few things in life that only a man or only a woman can do."

"Just cause you beat Moo doesn't mean you're not a sissy…" the boy mumbled, his mother looked like she was about to strangle her son.

"Do you know what true courage is Thomas?" Genki challenged, the boy looked annoyed.

"Not being a coward and fighting to win." Genki chuckled at the boy and smiled,

"No, winning has nothing to do with courage." The boy glared at him,

"Then what is it smart guy?"

"True courage is doing something you know you will likely fail at but you do it anyway because it's the right thing to do. It is possible to win with courage yes but that is a byproduct of true courage not the actual goal." The boy seemed at a loss for words now, "I don't care if you believe that I'm a sissy, that's your choice. I will always be true to who I am, other people's opinions I'm not concerned about." The boy looked startled now, "You are only going to limit yourself in the long run with that narrow way of thinking about tasks as you get older. I would implore you to reconsider how you see things, not everything is as it first appears." He smiled to the boy then looked to his mother and gave her a wink; she nodded and smiled in return. Genki then took his leave deciding to get something to drink. He had a feeling that boy would still be in trouble later, but he hoped he had brought some understanding to him nonetheless.

* * *

Holly had followed him over,

"Was that really necessary?" her voice was soft, he met her gaze as he got some tea.

"It was. I was trying to prove a point to him. Sometimes boys his age get too fixated on being a man and don't realize they are only showing just how childish they truly are."

"I hope it works then. I won't claim to know how boys think. I am worried about your arm though."

"Its fine Holly, I didn't strain it or anything. I was using my right arm for the most part anyway."

"I will say you surprised me. I wasn't aware you were that strong." She spoke softly to him,

"I don't use my strength much but I do try to keep in shape despite my job." He saw her nod as he finished his tea. He heard the music starting and smiled, "it's been a long time since I've heard any music from here." Holly glanced over at him, * _I guess he doesn't get time to relax much around here… come to think of it we don't know much about his worlds music._ *

"That's true." She shifted her attention to the musicians now, "Though we have never heard music from your world."

"I suppose you haven't, perhaps we can remedy that next time you visit?"

"Only if it's not too much trouble…"

"I have recordings Holly, all I have to do is play some for you. It's not trouble at all." Holly gave him a confused glance but left it alone. She figured he would show her what he meant later. He saw several of the other couples start dancing; he had seen several dances in the monster world before but only knew a couple of them really well. This one was similar to one he knew and as he watched he was noting the differences.

"Looks like Hare hit the wine already…" Holly spoke in an annoyed tone, Genki chuckled seeing the rabbit stumbling around.

"Let's just hope Suezo doesn't do so." Genki could see Holly roll her eyes,

"If he does I'm locking him the barn for the night." Genki laughed at this, he knew how bad the eyeball monster could get when he was drunk.

"I wouldn't blame you at all." Genki found the monster in question send out death glares to some of the young men of the village. * _Is he seriously trying to stop them from dancing with Holly?_ * Genki rolled his eyes then gave Suezo a glare from where he stood. The eye stalk looked startled, "Holly is Suezo doing what I believe he is right now?"

"Scaring off all the men? Yes, as per usual." Genki could see she was frustrated,

"Would you like to dance Holly?" Holly looked at him startled for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, but none of the men will challenge him… he'll kiss them if they do." Genki sweat dropped at that,

"Seriously?" Genki saw her nod and he rolled his eyes again, "Well he doesn't scare me. Would you dance with me Holly?" Holly smiled and nodded, he held out his hand and she took it. He lead her over to where the others were dancing, speaking only so she could hear him. "I believe I have this dance down from what I have seen, correct me if you see something wrong." She smiled; she had lead him in dances many times before. She knew how to subtly correct him without anyone really noticing she was leading him. Suezo was frowning at this development but wasn't willing to challenge Genki. He was well aware that Genki could pulverize him if he chose to do so. The other young men of the village watched the pair dance in awe as they watched them move in perfect unison, neither miss-stepping at all. After a couple of dances Genki spoke to her again, "I'll distract Suezo, it's time he and I have a little chat. Go dance with the other men and enjoy yourself." Holly looked up at him surprised then smiled as her eyes wavered with warmth and gratitude.

"Thank you Genki. This means a lot to me…" He smiled as he handed her off to a man that he had signaled to come forward. Before Suezo could lunge at the other man Genki grabbed him by his tongue and hauled him off.

"Suezo you are coming with me. It's time you and I have a chat." The eye stalk sputtered as he was literally dragged by his tongue off towards the nearby lake. Granity laughed as she saw the over protective monster flail around trying to get loose.

"Well at least Genki can handle him."

"About time, poor Holly can't do anything without him interfering lately." Tiger grumbled, he was about to zap the eyeball monster if Genki hadn't interfered.

* * *

Genki dragged him off till they were out of ear shot; he then parked the eyeball so he couldn't see what Holly was doing. They were behind a storage building now, this would be a good spot for a private discussion.

"If you try to take off after I let you go I will tie you up and leave you in the barn." Suezo glared at him, and then stopped struggling. Genki released his hold and stood back watching to make sure he wasn't being tricked.

"What do you want?" Suezo asked a length as he realized he wasn't getting out of this anytime soon.

"We are going to talk about your behavior. Why are you interfering with Holly enjoying herself?"

"I'm protecting her…"

"From what exactly? Do you believe she can't handle herself?"

"Those men just want to bed her!"

"Those men want to dance with her, which has nothing to do with sex." Suezo sputtered again, "Do you want to hurt her?"

"No of course not! I want to make sure she is safe."

"And what is unsafe about dancing?"

"It can be erotic…" Genki rolled his eyes again,

"You and I both know Holly would not do any erotic dancing in public." Suezo was silent now, Genki sighed. "Look I know you are protective of her, but you have to know when to let go. Doesn't Holly deserve to be happy? Doesn't she deserve to be able to choose who she dances with or even who she dates?"

"Yes... she does deserve those things…"

"Then what is the real problem Suezo?" Genki's voice softened, he already knew the answer but he wanted Suezo to say it. Suezo was silent for a few minutes,

"I feel like I'm losing her…" His voice was soft and shaking slightly. Genki knew this was going to be tricky,

"Suezo… I know this is hard, believe me. It's never easy to let go or to let things change. We always want those bonds to remain the same. But if you truly love her then you must let her go. Holly would never kick you to the curb; you will always be in her life. But she does need to find a husband and to experience true love. She deserves to be happy after everything that has happened to her." Suezo was silent for a bit again, Genki waited patiently for him to process things.

"Our bond… it's weakening…" Genki sighed,

"Do you still feel it?"

"Yes…"

"Then it's not too late to change. Your actions are causing it to weaken. Remember this bond is about complete trust between trainer and monster. It's obvious you don't trust her… and from what I have heard she hasn't been able to trust you fully either." Suezo's eye widened,

"What are you talking about…"

"You've tried to grope her haven't you?" He looked away now, not willing to meet Genki's gaze.

"Yes…" his voice so soft that Genki almost didn't hear it. Genki moved forward now, he place his hand on the eyeball monsters head hoping to bring some comfort.

"Suezo… you know how she feels about sex or about perverted things. Why would you try to grope her? How can she trust you when you try to do such things to her?" He saw Suezo look at the ground.

"I'm jealous OK…"

"Of what?"

"Of what she and Granity have… They make love… Holly would never do that with me…" Genki looked unsure of what to say for a moment. * _So he knows huh? He must have spotted them. My hunch was right then, he wants a physical relationship._ *

"You want a physical bond with Holly?" Suezo nodded,

"I've always wanted that… but she would never discuss it with me… I was OK with it until…"

"Until she and Granity had one?"

"Yeah… It hurts… it's like she doesn't love me anymore…" Genki saw a tear roll down the eyeball monsters cheek. Genki sighed; he walked forward and pulled Suezo into his arms awkwardly. He felt the Suezo beginning to cry harder now, he held him while he released the pain. * _This isn't going to be easy… I'm going to have to tell Holly this… their bond will break if this keeps up._ * He waited until Suezo calmed down some,

"Suezo, Holly still loves you, she always will. It's the trust that gone. That can be rebuilt over time but you must change what you are doing. I can help you but only if you are willing to change. I can't say for sure but I doubt Granity bugged Holly about having a physical relationship. My guess is that it came about naturally for them, neither was focused on that. I believe their focus was on an emotional bond, the physical one just sort of happened."

"But why was she willing to do it? She never likes talking about sex…"

"I can't answer that for certain, I believe that she felt safe with Granity. Perhaps her being female helped who knows. What I do know is that if you want to rebuild your bond then you must be honest with her."

"She won't talk with me about this…"

"Yes she will. I will make sure of it." Suezo looked up at him now, seeing Genki's conviction brought him hope.

"You will help?"

"Yes Suezo I will. I can act as a mediator if you want. I'll make sure you both can talk this out. It needs to happen. I don't want your bond to break; it will only hurt you both." Genki soothingly stroked the eye stalks back, helping him calm down again. "If I promise to help you will you leave her alone so she can have the life she desires?"

"Yes… I'll leave her alone…" Genki smiled gently to him, "Can I ask something Genki?"

"Sure Suezo."

"Why… have you and Holly never dated?" Genki sighed heavily, he didn't want to talk about it but he would be honest regardless.

"Holly didn't want to try; she believed that juggling lives in both worlds wasn't going to be doable. That it would bring too much stress to a relationship… there was also her fear of the portal at the time. She was terrified of jumping across to my world… I couldn't bear to see her distressed like that. She literally begged me to not bring the topic up again. So I did she asked, I let her go because I love her. I want her to be happy even if it's not with me." Genki looked away; it was hard for him to admit this to anyone. He hated thinking about it let alone talking about it. He had accepted that he had lost her years ago but it didn't change the pain he felt. "I will be here for her; she is still family to me." When he looked back at Suezo, the eyeball monsters eye widened in shock; he could see the pain in Genki's eyes for the first time.

"I don't understand… you still love her right?"

"Very much so."

"Then why?…"

"Because I love her enough to let her go. I'm not selfish Suezo, you know that. I couldn't bear to put her though anything when she was terrified of it. I've never seen her so scared…" He looked away his gaze becoming unfocussed.

"You gave up?"

"For her sake I did yes…"

"But… doesn't it hurt?"

"Yes it does Suezo." Genki sighed and closed his eyes, "When she made that decision and asked me to never bring it up again it was like having a red hot knife stabbed into my heart. It hurt far more than anything I have ever experienced. It still hurts to this day but I want her to be happy so I have let go for her sake. If she changes her mind someday then perhaps this will change. But I will not be the one initiating it; she will have to do so if it's what she wants." Suezo was unsure of how to handle this; he had known they had fought years ago. He had seen the aftermath, but he never would have dreamed that they had come to this agreement. He frowned, all this time he thought Genki had fallen out of love with her. All this time he had resented the young man for slighting Holly, when in reality the one hurt was the young man in question.

"I'm sorry… I thought…"

"That I had abandoned her?" Suezo nodded, Genki smiled sadly.

"I let you believe that… I didn't want to stress her any further… even if that meant I would have to bear the resentment."

"That's why you disappeared for a while…" Genki nodded,

"Yes, I couldn't bear to be around her for a while… it hurt too much. There were times I almost broke down but I managed to hold it all inside while I was here." Suezo was silent again for a bit as he thought things over, Genki took the time to wrangle his own emotions back into check.

"I wish you had told us…"

"There was nothing to tell Suezo. I didn't want any more drama… she made it clear that she wouldn't change her mind." Genki gave him a sad smile, "All I can do now is support her."

"I hope you can get her to talk to me…"

"She is worried about you… she realized the bond is weakening between you. I think I can get her to talk to you without an issue. Keeping her talking will be the tricky part." Suezo nodded his understanding. "Let head back. Let her enjoy herself alright? She needs this." Suezo nodded again,

"Alright… I understand Genki." The pair then made their way back. Genki did a few breathing exercises quietly to deal with his emotions. He would mask his true feelings before he returned; he didn't want to put a dampener on things.

* * *

Granity grabbed him on the way back and pulled him out on the floor to dance as Suezo hopped over to get some wine.

"Easy Granity don't yank too hard on my arm." He chuckled; he joined her for a couple of dances before he traded partners. By the end of the night he had danced with most of the women present, including the married ones. He had silently asked the husbands for permission they all gave it. Genki enjoyed himself immensely; he noticed Holly was also having a blast. She was dancing with Mocchi currently. For the final song of the night Genki found Holly to be his partner once again. She leaned over and whispered to him,

"Thank you Genki, this is the best night I've had in a long time. I don't know what you said to him but you really did get through to him." He smiled and replied just as softly,

"I'll tell you tomorrow, I promised him I'd talk to you anyway. For now don't worry about it. He will behave from now on." Holly beamed at him, in gratitude. After the last dance was over everyone cleaned up a bit. Genki assisted even though he was told he didn't need to, the women fussing at him doing so much work. It made him smile seeing them all fussing over him for working too hard. Once back to Holly home he helped her get things settled. He grabbed his pack, ready to head home and get some rest.

"I'll walk you back Kid." Genki nodded to Tiger and smiled in appreciation. Holly looked beat,

"Get some rest Holly, you don't have to pop over first thing if you need more sleep." Holly shook her head,

"I'll be fine. Besides I want to speak with you about a couple of things tomorrow." He nodded then smiled,

"Have a good night Holly."

"You are well Genki. Thanks again for tonight." He flashed her a grin and then walked out the door with Tiger in tow.

* * *

After they were a good ways form the house Tiger spoke up.

"What's bugging you kid?" Genki gave him a questioning look, "you have been faking smiles since you spoke with Suezo."

"I'd rather not start rumors; I'll talk with Holly about it tomorrow. Things are rather complex with Suezo."

"It's not about him, your acting like you did after your fight with Holly…" Genki sighed,

"Tiger…"

"Kid we all noticed, even back then that your smiles were hollow. There was something wrong, but you never said it." Genki looked away, thinking of what he wanted to say.

"Suezo asked me about that earlier…. It brought up some bad memories…"

"What happened between you two? What was that fight over?"

"Tiger… I'm not sure I should…"

"Holly refuses to speak of it… and now you are… what did you do?" Genki shook his head,

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past."

"It's clearly not seeing how it has affected you." Tiger paused a moment then realized something, "You don't need to protect her… I know whatever it was… it wasn't your fault. You have gone out of your way to take the blame." Genki sighed; he stopped just inside the shine looking at Tiger,

"Are argument was over us being together… Holly was afraid to try… she believed that juggling lives in both worlds was not feasible. That and she feared coming to my world. I believed we could work through things but she told me no. She made it clear that her decision was final and that I needed to move on." Tiger's eyes widened, "I let her go that day because I love her. I won't stop her from pursuing what makes her happy."

"You gave up?"

"Yes, for her sake." Genki closed his eyes, a change in his posture and breathing told Tiger he was upset. "I want her to be happy."

"Yet you are suffering…" Genki shook his head,

"It doesn't matter. She has been through enough, I won't put her through anything more."

"Why won't you fight for her?" Tiger growled, "If you love her you should fight for her!" Genki's eyes snapped open, it was then Tiger could see the true pain he was in. It made the wolf monster freeze,

"I can't, she asked me not to bring it up. She made me promise not to… she recently released me from that promise but I can tell it was out of guilt. She doesn't want to talk about it…" He took a moment to calm himself, "Neither do I anymore… honestly I can't handle another round Tiger." He looked away, "I… I have things I don't tell you guys about… much darker things then you could imagine. I almost wasn't able to fight those things off… if I get hurt that way again… I might not win next time." His voice dropped off, he refused to look at Tiger but he knew the wolf monster was stunned. He had never been honest with them, never mentioned his issues or even alluded to them.

"You're… saying that it hurts too much to try…" Tiger questioned softly, Genki nodded. Tiger closed his eyes, * _It makes sense now… they are both hurting… Holly hurt herself that day without realizing it…_ * "Kid… were you suicidal after that argument?" He asked carefully but he already suspected he knew the answer. Genki seemed to debate things for a moment, he then finally nodded.

"I was yes…" Genki wasn't looking at him but Tiger could see his pain, "It took everything I had to fight it… If I hadn't had help… I might not be here now." His voice was very soft now, but he knew Tiger heard him. Tiger's eyes widened, he had never imagined Genki had such problems, let alone that he would struggle so much.

"Kid… I'm sorry. I should have been there for you… Not blamed you… you must have felt so alone…"

"I took the blame so Holly wouldn't have to Tiger…"

"Still it was not fair to you…"

"No one said life is fair Tiger." Genki placed his hand on his head, "I need to get some rest. Please… don't blame Holly. I no longer do, I just want to move on as she asked." Genki's voice was soft again.

"Genki, you can't lie to yourself. You still love her. What you truly want is to be with her." Genki gave him a sad smile,

"What I want doesn't matter." Genki looked away again, "If she changes her mind then she will have to pursue me. I can no longer trust her with my heart…" With that Genki walked forward and hit the switch on the pedestal then jump though the portal before Tiger could reply. * _Kid… why are you letting yourself be hurt like this? You love her that much or are you just focused on the wrong thing? I know you are afraid… but you can't keep this up. _* Tiger turned and start back to the house, * _I need to confront Holly about this… she needs to talk to him. He doesn't deserve this after all he has done for us. He can at least get some closure._ *

* * *

_AAN: whoo really long chapter, hope you all like it. I'm going to slowly introduce things as we go. More interactions with Genki and Holly next chapter. _


	5. Admissions

_AAN: More explanations this chapter but also more understanding between characters. My chapters seem to be getting longer and longer. I hope you enjoy all the extra length. _

**Admissions**

Genki woke some time later; he didn't feel like getting up or doing anything. His emotions were still raw from before he jumped back. * _Damn… how can I help Holly and Suezo when I can barely function now… _* he glanced at the clock realizing he had slept most of the day, he forced his mind to focus on the task he needed to accomplish today, it was a distraction from his own issues.* _seriously though I don't really know how well things will go with them… Suezo wanting to bang her is not going to go over well at all. Come to think of it… how can he bang her? He doesn't have a cock I don't think…_ * Genki sweat dropped trying to imagine where a penis would be on Suezo, * _If he has one it's internal like a dragon I guess… _* He shook off the weird thoughts as he refocused, * _Holly will definitely freak out over this… I just hope I can get her to talk to him… this needs to be resolved. I can completely understand Suezo… I feel it as well. I don't want him to go through what I have…_ * Genki sighed and forced himself out of bed, dressing for the day he reached into his medicine cabinet in his bathroom. Pulling out a prescription he took one pill then left for the kitchen. He made a quick meal and forced himself to eat it, he wasn't hungry but he knew he needed this. Once he finished he went upstairs again to meditate, he hoped that this would be enough to get him through for tonight.

* * *

Back in the monster world

Holly was just getting up, she felt a little tired but not enough to justify sleeping in. She rose and began her morning rituals as she got ready for the day. She hummed a tune as prepared to cook the morning meal. She hadn't felt this good in a long time, she had enjoyed the prior night immensely. Tiger found her looking through some spices for the porridge she was planning on making. He knew he needed to talk to her about Genki but he hadn't seen her this happy in a long time. * _do I really have the heart to bring this up right now? She hasn't been this happy in ages… still Genki is in pain…_ * he sighed heavily, * _I have no choice; I can't let this go on. I will wait till she starts her chores to say anything, she at least deserves a few hours reprieve before I talk to her and spoil her good mood. By then she will have spoken to Genki about Suezo at least. _* Tiger wandered back out of the room to find Granity, he wanted to talk to her for a bit as well. Granity was reading the book Holly had gotten from Genki in the living room. Tiger chuckled as he hopped up onto the couch next to her.

"Decided to read up on some things too?"

"I figured if it was so important that he gave her a huge book then I should probably see what it was about as well."

"You chose him as your second trainer didn't you?" His voice was soft so only she heard him; she glanced his way before nodding.

"I did… I'm worried about him though… He's hiding some things and he's afraid to talk about them." Tiger sighed,

"Tell me about it, I tried talking to him last night."

"Did he say anything? I know he was upset."

"Yeah, come with me for a minute." Tiger got up and walked out the door of the house. Granity put a marker in the book and followed.

Once they were alone Tiger turned towards her,

"Genki told me what he was upset about. Apparently Suezo had asked about their argument, it dredged up some bad memories. Holly hurt him pretty bad when she rejected him… in fact he's hurting far worse then I imagined he would be." Granity could see he was serious,

"What do you mean?"

"Granity… Genki told me that he no longer wishes to speak to Holly about being together… that he can't handle another rejection because he might not… be able to fight off his darker side." Granity tilted her head in confusion,

"What darker side Tiger?" Tiger looked away checking the area again,

"Keep this to yourself alright?"

"I will, you have my word."

"Genki became suicidal after their argument. The rejection was almost too much for him. He said if he hadn't had help he wouldn't be here today." Granity's eyes widened, she had never imagined he would take the rejection that hard. Genki had always seemed to be emotionally stable, resilient to almost anything. Yet now she realized that was a façade, that in reality he was hurting and he felt alone.

"Are you sure?" She looked into Tiger's eyes,

"Yes, he confirmed it. He said he can no longer trust Holly with his heart…" Granity closed her eyes a moment as she processed this. *_I knew she had hurt him… I never realized she had hurt him this bad. Why has he remained silent about this?_ *

"Why didn't he say anything? We all blamed him that day…"

"He was protecting her…" Tiger spoke softly, "he wants her to be happy."

"Yet he feels alone and he's in pain."

"When I challenged him and said that what he really wants is to be with Holly. He told me that what he wants doesn't matter." Tiger sighed, "He's given up Granity… I could see it in his eyes before he left. He doesn't have it in him to pursue her anymore. He believes there is no hope for him." Granity was silent a moment just thinking things over. Finally she met Tiger's gaze again,

"Are you planning to tell Holly this?"

"I am, I want to confront her. This is ridiculous… this never should have happened..."

"Holly told me about her fight with him, I knew what it was over. Between Akame and I we got her to release him from the promise she forced on him. But I never imagined that he took it so hard… wait… the book… he wants her to know." Granity realized suddenly, Tiger tilted his head.

"What are you talking about?" She looked back at him,

"When I popped over Holly asked him some questions after I was done asking him to be my trainer. Akame apparently clued her in to some degree that Genki has 'issues'. Genki had confirmed this to her but refused to say anything else. Instead he had told her he wanted her to read the book first so she could understand them."

"Ok I follow, what is the book about then?"

"Psychological disorders, it's about mental problems people have. What we took as a rough break up was devastating to him because he has Depression. I just read about it before you came by. Because of this mental problem he couldn't recover on his own from such a painful experience. He is probably on medication for it, though he hasn't mentioned it."

"Why would he hide this?"

"He's scared… he mentioned before that he hates when people think he can't do things because of his fears. I believe he is even more afraid of our reaction to this. We don't have medicine for such disorders… he was afraid…"

"…That we would turn on him?"

"Yeah I think so." Granity paused a moment realizing something else, "Tiger… he confirmed 'issues' plural… he doesn't just have one." She glanced to him,

"Then he is preparing to tell Holly?"

"I think so… damn… if he's given up then."

"Wait he said that if Holly changed her mind then she would have to pursue him. There is still a chance of them being together."

"Yes but can he ever trust her again?"

"I'm… not sure." Tiger frowned thinking about that, "If he is trying to tell her then he wants help… he must want to trust her on some level."

"I'll jump across with Holly; wait to talk to her until she returns. I'm going to see if I can stay with Genki for the night. I need to form my bond with him anyway, and maybe I can get him to open up a little."

"Just don't push him too hard, if he has more than one problem…"

"I know. I will be gentle. I'm going to try and finish that section on disorders before she jumps. I want to have an idea of what they are like. Perhaps I can spot what the other issue actually is." Tiger nodded, they both headed back to the house and Granity resumed her reading.

When Holly was ready to jump across Granity smiled and asked to come, stating that she would like to start her bond with Genki. Holly smiled to her and readily agreed, she called Genki who confirmed he would be ready to receive them. They both walked to the shrine with Tiger, all the while Granity was thinking of how to approach Genki about this. *_ I can't be blunt this isn't a subject that he will just tell me about. If he is truly in pain then all I can do is gently probe and hope he's willing to trust me. _*

* * *

Genki felt better after his meditation but he still wasn't a hundred percent. The medication had lifted his mood but it did nothing for the pain he felt. He pushed it aside as he opened the gate, once Holly popped through he grabbed her and pulled her out of the way, Granity soon followed.

"Thanks, I really need to get better at this." Holly stated as he nodded, she noticed his mood seemed off but didn't say anything. * _What's wrong with him?_ * They both followed him into the kitchen, Holly noticed he had everything set up already.

"Holly after we are done with this I need to speak with you about Suezo." She noticed his gaze was filled with mixed emotions.

"Alright… I have been wondering about how you got through to him and what his problem was."

"I can go down stairs if needed." Granity volunteered, Genki shook his head.

"There's no need, you are involved as well." Granity gave him a questioning look then shrugged as she looked over at Holly who looked just as confused. It didn't take long for Holly to change his bandage; she was getting much better at it now that it was a routine. Genki had the girls follow him to the living room to talk with them.

"So what's going on and how am I involved?" Genki sighed,

"My hunch was correct on what his issue actually was. I wish in this case I was wrong. First you both need to be aware that he knows you two are making love. He said it to me the other night." Holly and Granity both looked stunned,

"But how?"

"I don't know, but he knows about it." Granity recovered first then asked,

"Does he not approve?"

"No…" Holly answered; Genki frowned as she answered for him. * _so she knew?_ * "He's jealous Granity…"

"Why?" Holly refused to answer so Genki did in her place.

"He has always wanted to make love to Holly. Holly has always refused him." Granity's eyes widened as she looked over at the woman in question, Holly was shaking. Granity placed an arm around her to comfort her. "However that is not the only problem. He is also terrified of losing her. He believes she no longer loves him and will leave him behind if she were to marry." Holly looked up at him now; he could see this she hadn't been aware of.

"Why does he think that?" Granity probed,

"I think it's because of your bond with her. Holly barely resisted being physical with you, but has always denied him. He knows their bond is weakening, he felt it."

"Genki… I knew he wanted to bed me… he's always been that way. I can't have sex with him; but I will always love him. He's like a brother to me."

"I know Holly but you need to tell him you love him. You need to be honest with him. I want both of you to talk this out. I promised him I would be there to help, to be a mediator. I know you hate talking about sex or anything like this, but it must be done. You have to fix this before the bond breaks." He closed his eyes, "I know he tried to grope you, I know he has broken your trust and that he has a hard time trusting you." Holly nodded,

"Holly, it will hurt you both greatly if it breaks…" Granity spoke softly,

"I know…"

"Then agree to meet and try to talk this out." Genki met her eyes as she looked at him.

"I'm not sure I can fix this…"

"Will you try?" Genki's voice was neutral and soft. It took a moment for Holly to answer, finally she nodded.

"I will try… I love him so I have to try at least…" Genki nodded, Granity noticed a new emotion in Genki's eyes after Holly said that. He looked both hurt and sad just then. Before she could really understand his emotions he moved his eyes to the window.

"We'll plan on next weekend then. I will come over and help you both. Hopefully we can find a way for both of you to make amends." Holly nodded,

"Alright, we will plan on that." Genki sighed as he looked back at Granity,

"I heard you want to start our bond Granity?"

"Yeah, if you are alright with that… if it's a bad time…" He shook his head,

"It's fine, though I will have to disappear briefly tomorrow morning…" Granity tilted her head,

"You have work?" He shook his head,

"I need to visit my brother…" He looked distant just then, Holly picked up on his emotions now.

"Did something happen to him?" Genki looked over at her question, and then nodded.

"He's in the hospital, in the critical wing. Only family are allowed to visit in that wing. I need to be there for him."

"Do you know what happened to him?" He nodded to Granity's question,

"I do yes…"

"Can you tell us?" Holly asked gently, * _She must realize he's upset _* Granity thought as she waited. He sighed after a moment; he had seemingly debated whether to tell them.

"He tried to take his own life by slitting his own wrists. I don't know the reason, none of us do. We were lucky his roommate found him before he died." His voice was soft; his eyes watched the birds outside of the window. Holly gasped at that, her hands moving to cover her mouth as she took that in. * _wait his brother is suicidal?_ * Granity thought as she asked,

"Do you think he'd tell you?"

"I'm not sure… he isn't good with words. I will try, that's all I can do. We know what caused that response but not the trigger for it. My guess is he was hurt emotionally… either that or he has completely given up on life."

"What caused the response?"

"Depression, he has a second mental issue… his Anxiety is so bad that it masked it. We never realized he was fighting two things at once. It explains a lot… I guess I should have realized there was something more going on."

"You can't blame yourself Genki…" Holly finally spoke as Granity thought over some things, * _if his brother has anxiety then Genki may also have it. Perhaps not as bad as his brother… it would explain why he feels guilty and feels like he should be there for him._ *

"I know Holly… I just feel like I should be doing more the help him…"

"You can only do so much."

"Holly is right; don't take all this on yourself. You can only help with so much; he has to fight back himself." Genki nodded reluctantly, "Genki its fine if you need to visit him, I can stay here and read or something." He looked over at Granity then nodded. After a few minutes he sighed,

"Thank you both. I feel much better." They smiled; he really needed to talk things out. Holly rose and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We will always be here Genki…" He smiled to her and nodded.

"I appreciate it."

"I will leave you and Granity alone, the bond needs time to form and distractions don't help." Genki chuckled,

"You know from experience huh?"

"Yes I do. I will wait till this weekend to talk to Suezo. I trust you know what you are doing. Though I am curious… what did you say that finally got him to leave me alone?" Genki smiled and met her gaze.

"Simple, I told him that if he truly loved you that he would let you go so that you can be happy." Holly's eyes widened at this statement, as did Granity's but for a different reason. * _He told Suezo about their fight to prove a point to him. I understand now._ *

"Genki… thank you for helping him see that he was hurting me…" He nodded; he then walked to the kitchen. Holly followed, confused as to what he was doing. He pulled a piece of paper from the counter and handed it to her. "Is this the cake recipe you used?" He nodded,

"I know you were going to ask for it. So I wrote it down for you." She hugged him, catching him off guard.

"Thank you." Holly smiled brightly to him making him chuckle, "I should jump back, Tiger is waiting for me." Genki nodded, he opened the portal for her and sent her back. Granity had remained silent while they interacted.

* * *

After Holly was gone she smiled to Genki, he gave her a questioning glance.

"Let's go chat for a bit. You've never formed this kind of bond before have you?"

"Not on purpose no. Mocchi and I have one but…. I have no clue how it formed." He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed and she laughed at this.

"I thought so. Come with me and I'll explain." She led him back into the living room and had him sit beside her on the couch. "Go ahead and put your arm around me Genki." He hesitated a moment but did as she asked. She leaned against him, relaxing with him. She took his other hand in her own interlacing her fingers with his. Genki seemed unsure of things but let her do it regardless, she smiled to him. * _He's just like Holly… Just as cautious as her._ *

"Granity… what would you like me to do?" He asked as he wasn't sure what she had in mind.

"Just relax and listen for now. Ask questions if you have them." He nodded, "The first bond we need to form is the emotional or heart bond. This will begin to form the link between us." She saw him nod his understanding. "In order for us to do this you must open you heart to me and I have to do the same to you. We are both going to become vulnerable to each other. Remember this is about building trust, it won't form overnight." He nodded,

"Then is a slow building process correct?"

"Yes, we will slowly open up to each other." she could see some hesitation on his part before he asked his next question.

"I will let you show me the pace you want to go at. I am wondering something though."

"What?"

"Why did you want to sit with me this way?"

"I want to start trusting you around me physically as well. Letting you touch me slowly. I need to feel physically safe with you before I can fully open up my heart." He seemed surprised by this answer but then nodded.

"I think I understand." He closed his eyes a moment, "Granity, what kinds of touches would you like to start with? I want to help you feel comfortable." She smiled to him,

"I want to be in your arms, you can touch me as long as you are gentle and not being perverted. I trust you; it's just been awhile since I was touched by a man." He nodded his understanding,

"I will be careful. If you feel uncomfortable then tell me or show me. I will stop immediately if you want me to." she smiled in gratitude.

"Genki the emotional bond is the most important bond we can have; it will be hard for me to do this. But I chose you for a reason; I know you won't hurt me." He seemed unsure of what she wanted him to do now, "Will you listen to what he did to me?"

"Are you certain you are willing to share?" She nodded, "Then I will. I'd like to know how to help you after all. Perhaps hearing the story will help me understand better." She smiled,

"In return, share something personal with me. I want to hear about your life and who you were with. We rarely get to talk about such things." He smiled and nodded, settling in to listen to her tale.

* * *

Meanwhile in the monster world….

Holly and Tiger had returned to the village to complete their morning chores. Tiger deliberately finished his early so that he could locate Holly before she finished hers. * _I need to speak with her, I'm glad Granity could help piece things together for me but still will Holly listen to me? _* He found her by the barn feeding the chickens. She had this chore today, each other villagers traded out livestock chores so they could all have a day off. She seemed preoccupied with her thoughts when he arrived, her brow furrowed. *_ I wonder what Genki said to her about Suezo… she looks upset._ * He waited for her to finish before he approached her.

"Holly is everything alright?" She jumped, a little startled by his presence.

"Tiger you scared me…"

"Sorry…"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." He saw her cringe, "Will you talk to me?" she shook her head,

"I can't right now. Later Tiger, I promised Genki I would speak with Suezo. We will be doing that this next weekend." He nodded then sighed,

"Look I need to talk to you alone for a bit." She glanced at him seeing discomfort in his eyes,

"Alright, I was planning to take a break anyway. Where would you like to talk?"

"How about by the ruins?" She knew that was outside of town and way out of ear shot. * _what's bothering him? _* She nodded, he indicated for her to hop on his back and she complied. He carried her effortlessly to their destination.

Once they arrived he moved over to where they could relax unseen. Holly got off his back and took a seat on a nearby fallen column.

"Tiger what is this about? What's bothering you?" Tiger took a deep breath then looked her in the eyes.

"I don't know if you noticed but after Genki spoke to Suezo last night he was upset." Holly shook her head,

"I didn't no. I would assume it was due to what he spoke to Suezo about."

"It is. I got him to tell me what was going on. Suezo asked about the argument you both had." Holly's eyes widened, "He told me it dredged up some bad memories. I pushed him a bit; he told me what happened between you two." She looked away now, "You know we blamed him right? We believed he betrayed you that day, hurt you. I never realized until yesterday that he was the one hurting." This caught her attention and she refocused on him.

"You blamed him?"

"Yes, he probably felt so alone right after it happened…" Holly frowned; she hadn't realized that they had blamed him,

"Why didn't he…"

"He was protecting you." her eyes widened,

"Why? I didn't deserve…" He shook his head,

"He said he didn't want you to be put under any more stress." She seemed unsure of what do to with this news, he sighed. "Why did you reject him that day? All of us believed you loved him, so did he." Holly remained silent for a bit looking at the ground. Her hands clasped in her lap,

"I was afraid Tiger…"

"Afraid of what?"

"That we couldn't balance the two worlds, deal with having two lives essentially. I still don't think it's feasible…"

"So you gave up without even trying?" She nodded, "Did his love mean nothing then?" She looked up shocked.

"Of course it meant something, I just… between that and my fear of the portal. I couldn't bring myself to try. I begged him that day not to bring it up again."

"So you rejected him and threw away his love because of fear?" Holly nodded,

"He mentioned you released him from his promise not to speak with you about being together."

"I did yes… he didn't want to talk about it though."

"He is aware you released him because you felt guilty not because you actually want to talk about it. He also stated he no longer wishes to talk about it either." Holly's eyes told him she was shocked to hear that, but he knew there were more surprises to come for her. "I challenged him, asking him why he wouldn't try again. He said he couldn't take another hit."

"Couldn't take another hit?"

"He means your rejection of him." Tiger sighed, "Holly you hurt him bad that day, far worse then I imagined. Part of it may have been because it was so unexpected; he wasn't able to even prepare himself beforehand. His heart was completely open that day; you broke not just his heart but his trust. He had no idea anything was wrong until that day."

"I know I hurt him Tiger. I realized it after that fact… He was actively avoiding me for months… his eyes were filled with pain."

"Then why didn't you try to help him?"

"What could I do? Pretend to change my mind even though I hadn't? I wasn't going to lie to him."

"Have you changed your mind at all?" She looked unsure,

"I'm not sure…" She hesitated now, "I…"

"Holly, you need to look deep inside. Do you still love him?" She looked stunned at Tiger's insistence; reluctantly Holly closed her eyes and began to search as he had asked. Tiger waited patiently, * _If she doesn't love him then there truly is no hope… Still… Genki deserves to have some closure after all this time. _* Holly finally opened her eyes and met Tiger's

"I do yes."

"Then help him. He's still in pain Holly, I saw it in his eyes. He let his guard down for me." Tiger looked away, "I honestly don't know how he is dealing with it at all based on what I saw. But there is more that you need to know about." Holly took a moment to process that,

"What do I need to know Tiger?" * _What could possibly be going on? Why hasn't he told me about his pain? How did I miss it when I connected with him earlier?_ _I should have sensed it._ * Tiger seemed to debate on how to tell her this next information; it wouldn't be easy for her to accept.

"Holly… after I confronted him he told me why he couldn't take another rejection." He sighed, "He became suicidal after your fight…" He looked into her eyes and saw his words hit her hard. Her eyes were wide with shock, he could see guilt and pain in them.

"He tried to kill himself?" Tiger nodded,

"He told me if he hadn't had help he might not be alive today. He couldn't fight his darker side alone." Holly was shaking now; she couldn't believe what he had told her. It seemed so unreal to her that this would happen, especially since Genki always seemed to be so resilient.

"Why would he… do that? I know it hurts to be rejected. I've felt it but I've never…" She was shaking her head.

"Holly look at me." She did so, tears in her eyes. "I spoke to Granity; she told me he informed you that he had 'issues'. This is one of them apparently; he has a mental disorder called depression, Granity looked it up for me. The disorder made it impossible for him to handle the break up like a normal person would. He couldn't get over it on his own, that's why he needed help. He gave you that book because he wants to tell you, on some level he still trusts you." Tiger sighed, "All though, he did say he can no longer trust you with his heart, but he still trusts you in some way. If you truly love him and want to try again you are going to have to initiate it. He won't pursue you at this point, he has given up. He told me that he let you go because he loved you; he wanted you to be happy." Holly looked like she was having a hard time processing everything, he could sympathize with her but she needed to hear this. It was the only way to get her to do what needed to be done. Holly's mind raced as she dealt with everything, * _I almost killed him… over my own fear?! I never realized he had a problem… he never said anything. They blamed him… oh Genki you must have felt completely betrayed that day… completely alone. And yet he still tries to help us… but why. I'm surprised he doesn't hate me… I need to read that book. Granity figured it out; I need to understand all of this. I need to fix this; he doesn't deserve to be in pain anymore. I never should have hurt him; I was so selfish that day._ * Tears fell as she realized just how badly she had messed up, *_ I understand now… he emotionally can't deal with me anymore… His brother… wait he said 'issues' he is just like his brother… _*

"Tiger… I'm not sure if he will let me make amends for this."

"Will you try?"

"Yes, he deserves to be healed… I think I understand now… He's like his brother. He is fighting more than one mental disorder. Yet he is helping us… it hurts knowing what I have done to him." Tiger nuzzled her gently,

"I know. Please try to help him Holly, but most of all show him you love him. I'm not sure if his trust in you can be repaired or not. But I do know he deserves to know the truth and to be healed." She nodded,

"I will do what I can for him. I wouldn't blame him if he wants nothing to do with me." He nodded understanding what she meant.

"Holly… one last thing. You need to be honest with the others. They still blame him, clear his name." Holly nodded, looking into his eyes.

"I will Tiger; it's time I owned up to what I have done."

* * *

Back in the real world…

"Granity…" Genki couldn't believe what she had been put through by that man. He would kill him himself if he wasn't already dead. He hesitated a moment, gently he touched her cheek, wiping the tears away. She had let her guard drop around him, letting him see her pain. Granity leaned into his touch, taking comfort in it. Genki smiled, he leaned forward and very gently touched his forehead to hers. She seemed to take comfort from this small affection. They stayed this way for a while, neither had the words to speak. Granity knew by the look in Genki's eyes that he understood and wanted to help her. She let him comfort her for a while, when she pulled away he still looked concerned.

"Thank you Genki…" He nodded, "would you hold me for a while?" He smiled, gently he brought his arms around her, and she leaned into him as he held her. She enjoyed his embrace, her head resting on his shoulder as his hand moved soothingly along her spine. His touch was exactly what she had needed; he was so gentle and deliberate in his actions. Unlike Holly he wasn't shy, he would do what she needed him to, and all she had to do was ask.

"You asked me to share something personal." His voice came softly, "How about I start with my own experiences."

"That's fine, whatever you feel comfortable with." He nodded,

"I have only dated a few women and I was only ever intimate with two of them. I tend to be careful about that type of thing; I have to feel comfortable with them first. A lot of women see me only for my looks; I hate it when they throw themselves at me hoping I'll bed them." He could feel her hand gently come to rest on his chest, her thumb caressing him. She was encouraging him to continue his tale in her own way. "You know of one of those I bedded already, Akame was the last woman I was with."

"Yes, I gathered that from your conversation with Holly." she smiled, "How long were you with her?"

"Three years, she was the first I opened up to in a long time."

"How long ago did you two agree to part?"

"About two years ago now. Though we are still close friends." He felt her nod, "I haven't dated since we broke up."

"Any reason why?" Her voice soft and gentle, she would easy him into things. She knew he was afraid to open up again.

"I just… there has always been a void in my heart. No one has been able to fill it… not since…"

"Since Holly rejected you?" She felt him go ridged for a moment; he then seemed to relax under her gentle touch.

"Yeah…" Granity could sense he was fighting himself now.

"Who was the other woman?"

"She was a lawyer… very intelligent. She became arrogant after a while. We were only together a few months."

"I can see arrogance being an issue for you. Though I am curious as to why you were intimate with her."

"We… fell in love rather rapidly, she was very sweet at first and we had a lot in common. It was only after a few months that I saw her true colors. We only had sex a couple of times; it wasn't high on the priority list. We were both extremely busy at the time." She knew he was still upset so she decided to probe something else before trying things with Holly again.

"Was it higher on the priority list for you and Akame?" Her voice soft but she knew he heard her. He nodded,

"Yes, Akame and I were very sexually active. She was an addict I swear, wanted it more than I did." He chuckled at that memory.

"What kinds of things did you two experiment with?" he was quiet a moment, she remained patient with him. She knew he might feel uncomfortable divulging this.

"I can remember some of what we did but to be honest I lost track after a while. We always tried to explore as much as we could, we only ever did the things that we actually liked after the first time." He paused a moment, "I already told you about the sensation play, it's not limited to textures though. Hot and cold can be used as well."

"Hot and cold water?"

"No hot wax and ice usually."

"Wouldn't wax burn you?"

"Not if it's done correctly. We used paraffin wax which melts at a lower temperature." He saw her nod, as she continued to listen. "We also did a lot with the B & D side of things. We were heavy in the discipline category."

"How does the discipline aspect work?"

"I'll give you an example; you may have noticed I don't get aroused easily. That's due to that discipline. If she told me not to get aroused physically I was supposed to try and resist it." Granity looked surprised now,

"I wasn't aware that was possible."

"It is, it takes a long time to master though."

"Can you still do it?"

"I can, though I am a bit out of practice." He saw her smile at his statement, "We can play with that later once we get further along if you'd like?"

"I would like to test that if you don't mind. Was that the only thing you learned?"

"No, I can resist orgasm for a while and other things too. Like I said we ran the gambit on that."

"We are so testing these things. I have never heard of a man being about to do such things." He chuckled at her fascination and excitement.

"Granity, if you want to explore things we can. I don't mind, just keep in mind that if we do this we must communicate." She nodded,

"I completely understand. I was hoping you'd be willing to show me some things after we became intimate. I want to experience new things, create new memories." He smiled, * _well I guess I know for sure now that she wants to bed me. _* He thought as he answered her,

"I'd be happy to help. Plus I can show you a few tricks you can do on Holly." Granity laughed,

"If she will let me, I would love to pleasure her more." He chuckled at this; he knew Holly was such a prude she was likely to balk at anything new. Granity was quiet a moment before she spoke again, * _hope this works though I'm sure he'll be upset once the topic shifts to him._ *

"Genki… could you instruct both Holly and I on some pleasure filled activities? I know she's a prude but she really does like sex. She has a hard time admitting it though." She gave him a lopsided grin; He looked both surprised and unsure of things.

"I can… do you think she'd listen though? I mean actually listen and not flip out silently in the corner."

"I'm working with her on that. I want her to get over the sex issues, so she can communicate more. Do you knew why she is always embarrassed and won't talk about sex?" he shook his head,

"She's never said why other than it's very private for her."

"She uses that as an excuse." Granity looked amused now,

"Oh? Then what's the real reason?"

"She gets aroused easily." She could see Genki was stunned; he shifted his gaze a moment as he thought that over. * _Seriously? Well I guess it makes sense in some weird way…_ *

"She gets aroused just talking about it?"

"Yep, and it embarrasses her. She really doesn't want to admit that she has a high sex drive. She wants sex, but suppresses her desires." She could see him thinking things over now, she knew Holly was likely to not enjoy him knowing but he needed this background.

"She's driving herself nuts…"

"Yeah she is… I want to help relieve that. It's hard when she doesn't communicate though."

"Does she moan during sex?" Granity raised a brow at that inquiry,

"She does yes, but it's hard to hear and usually only happens when she reaches orgasm." Genki looked thoughtful a moment,

"Granity, I can probably teach you how to look for subtle signs of pleasure. It might help you with her. Perhaps if you can get her to release a lot of her pent up sexual frustration she can have a conversation about sex without feeling aroused." He could see she was skeptical of this,

"How do I know you aren't just after my body Genki?" She teased; she saw his eyes become serious.

"I assure you I'm not. I just want to help you both." He looked away, "Holly is suppressing her own pleasure during sex not just her desires. It's probably taking her longer to reach orgasm due this."

"It does take a while yes." His eyes found her curious ones again,

"Granity, will she allow oral sex?" Granity snorted and shook her head,

"No… not yet, just my hand."

"This may be difficult, she's defiantly resisting…" His mind seemed to wander now, Granity watched as he thought things over. "Granity did she say anything about feeling any shame for wanting or enjoying sex?"

"No… but I get the impression there is something causing her shame. She is fine for a while after climax; she communicates better and pleasures me without any issues. After her hormones where off she seems… upset but won't tell me why."

"I have a hunch that whatever is causing that is the real issue. You need to get her to open up about it. If you can resolve that issue, she will probably be more open to sexual acts. What she is doing isn't healthy though; all that suppression… can lead to bigger problems." His gaze met hers now and he could see she understood. He saw her nod, she then lay her head back on his shoulder and sighed.

"So just how would you teach me? I know female anatomy better than you…" He chuckled,

"You do know that better yes, but what I'm going to teach you will work on a male or a female. Holly is still expressing herself but it's subtle. You're going to really need to look and listen to know what feels good to her and what doesn't."

"Are you trying to get a hand job Genki?" He snorted,

"No… perhaps later if you feel up to that once our relationship grows." he teased her making her chuckle at him, "You said you wanted to be comfortable with me, to share gentle touches correct?"

"I did yes."

"We can do some sensation play without having sex. I can make my reactions subtle to teach you what to look for so you can tell if someone likes something or not."

"Are you going to touch me as well?"

"Only if you want me to, it will not be anything inappropriate I assure you. I have no desire to jump into things like that this quickly."

"Alright, we can try it. Maybe it will help me deal with her."

"See if you can't get her to do oral sex as well. That will also help greatly."

"I can ask… she freaked last time I asked though." he nodded his understanding,

"I can imagine she did…" he snorted, "she keeps up this nonsense and she's going to have fainting spells due to her frustration." this got her laughing, he smiled seeing her enjoying herself. He knew she would understand things better once he showed her how to figure out subtle hints. After a few minutes he felt her hand move over his chest again, caressing gently. He closed his eyes enjoying her touch. They were silent a moment, just enjoying being with each other.

Granity finally decided to see if she could broach the subject she had been trying for.

"Say Genki… If you need help after you visit your brother let me know. I'm sure it won't be easy for you to talk to him." He glanced over at her as her hand continued to move. His eyes seemed suspicious now; she gave him a gentle smile.

"I will seek your help if it's too much for me. I have dealt with things like this before though. It's not his first mental break down, though it is the first of this type."

"I know you are able to handle a lot Genki, but sometimes it helps to be with others. You don't have to shoulder everything alone." He was silent a moment, * _She's angling toward something… Tiger… she spoke to him, I'd bet on it. Can I really discuss this with her? Let's see if she did talk to him or not first._ * He shifted to hold her hand, she interlaced their fingers.

"That may be true, but this isn't something easily understood Granity. Suicide is a very complicated thing; there are many variables to it. It's not as simple as just being upset or distressed. Kai has been through a lot, he has never tried to do this before so whatever it is, it's bound to be a complex and painful thing that got him to go this route." Granity seemed unsure of how to deal with this, she wasn't good at being delicate with words.

"I can't even imagine what your brother is going through to make him try to kill himself. What I do know is that it must be painful. I'm sure you understand better than me, but that doesn't mean I can't support you." He nodded,

"Yes, you can support me; without understanding though it's less effective." He shifted his eyes to her now, "Tiger already tried to do so last night. I don't think he truly understands even now, but he certainly tried." He could see in her eyes that she knew,

"Tiger cares for you as much as I do Genki. We will always be here for you." He snorted,

"I would hope not, I don't wish to bed Tiger." His voice joking, she gave him a disbelieving look before quipping back,

"I don't think he'd want to bed you either. You know what I meant."

"I do yes." He sighed, "He told you about last night huh?"

"He did, he is very worried."

"What did he tell you?" His eyes grew intense now, Granity searched them a moment before sighing.

"He told me that you have been through what your brother is doing now. That after Holly hurt you; you tried to take your own life…" Genki sighed and closed his eyes, * _I didn't exactly tell him not to say anything… I had to know he'd tell someone. _*

"I suppose it's fitting he spoke to you, he's aware you chose me right?"

"Yes, he knows. Genki I read through a good chuck of the book you gave to Holly. I may not understand everything but I do understand to some degree. You have depression don't you?" Genki's eyes opened, he met her gaze a moment before nodding.

"I do yes." Granity's hand went back to caressing his chest,

"You have more than one issue, just like your brother. Do you also have anxiety?" He seemed to be searching for something then after a moment averted his gaze. He nodded; it took him a moment to speak again.

"Yes, I have anxiety like my brother; my trigger point is much higher than his though. Any major stress sets him off. Mine has to build for a long time or be something specific to set it off." he felt her hand still soothingly caressing him, taking a chance since she hadn't recoiled he met her gaze again, "I have a third issue though not just two. I'm hoping my brother doesn't have it as well, I will be mentioning it to his doctors when I visit." He saw her eyes widen, he could see the great concern in them now.

"What's the third one?"

"One of the issues that tends to run alongside those disorders, Chronic Stress Disorder." Granity remembered this one being part of the anxiety section and that depression often ran with anxiety.

"Genki, do you have ways to dealing with an attack?" He nodded, "Can you teach me so I can help you if you have one?" He was shocked, * _I'm surprised how well she is taking this… The monster world doesn't have anything to help people like me. Hell they treat other mental issues like the plague._ * "Did you think this would scare me away? The look you are giving me is telling me that."

"I guess I did. I've seen how you all treat Rick, it's like he has the plague and no one ever helps him. Even Holly tries to avoid him if she can, though at least she isn't rude to him." Granity's eyes widen in shock, *_We… basically told him we couldn't accept him… he had to fight this alone… _* She felt both sad and guilty just then.

"Genki, I didn't mean for it to seem like that. No one knows what to do with Rick… we all know something is wrong but not what. The doctors have tried to help him but nothing works… we know it's not contagious but it's awkward for everyone." Genki sighed; he closed his eyes a moment.

"You could always ask him you know. You're right it's not contagious and there is nothing a doctor in your world could possibly do to help him." She looked at him confused now, his eyes found her confused orbs. "Rick is autistic; it means his brain structure formed differently while he was developing in his mother's womb. From what I have seen his case of ASD is fairly mild compared to what it could have been." He saw his words have an impact she averted her gaze as she thought things over. He let her; he knew this wasn't easy for her either.

"I'm sorry we made you feel that you had to do this alone…" he could hear the sorrow in her voice, he gently lifted her gaze to meet his, he could see she wanted to help him and that she felt bad that they had told him without words that they couldn't handle his issues.

"Granity, I know misunderstandings happen, I forgive you." Genki let go of her chin now, he smiled gently before turning his gaze outside. "As far as my attacks go… it depends on how severe it is to what I have to do." Granity blinked at him, she hadn't expected him to open up to her so easily. Not after all his careful talk earlier.

"Can describe your attacks for me? The book said they tended to vary from person to person." He smiled, now he knew she had read it for sure since she was referencing information within it. * _I can only hope Holly also reads it. _*

"My attacks always start with a severe migraine headache; it makes it hard for me to think. At times it can get so bad that any sound or light can be painful. Though I do get bad headaches normally, I can tell the difference between that and a stress induced headache." He found that she was attentive and listening as he continued. "A mild attack will make me irritable, short of breath, my heart will race, and I will sometimes be light headed. A severe attack will make me feel like I can't breathe at all, I'll be gasping for air; all my muscles will tense up, my heart rate will skyrocket along with my blood pressure, my vision will start to go black, my body will sometimes start shaking for no reason, and I'll be fighting to stay conscious. If it gets really bad I'll black out entirely. I have medication I take for severe bouts; I don't take it unless it's severe though." He paused a moment, seeing her looking extremely worried. "For mild attacks I go meditate or exercise, it helps a great deal."

"What if you have a severe attack in our world?" Granity asked concerned now that something might happen with everything going on recently,

"If I do, get me to a quiet area and hold me. Just gently sooth me, eventually I'll be alright. It will take longer without my medication but it can be done." He saw her nod,

"Will you show me your medication? In case it happens here?" she saw him nod,

"I will yes. It's rare I have a severe attack. Only super emotional things seem to be able to completely stress me out."

"Like a discussion with Holly?" He gave her a suspicious look,

"It could yes, depending on what is going on. Why do you ask?" Granity sighed,

"Tiger is confronting her…" Genki's eyes widened,

"Are you serious?"

"Yes… he will likely tell her about your suicide attempt…" Genki closed his eyes, he did a few breathing exercises. Granity gentle caressed him, leaning her head against his in affection. She had realized a while ago that these breathing exercises were his attempt to head off anything he felt. He did them often enough for her to take notice of them.

"Granity I need you to do something for me."

"What do you need?"

"Delay Holly, I can't talk to her about this right now… My stress level is already too high. I will have an attack if it happens this week. I need time to release my stress."

"I'll talk to her while you are visiting your brother then. How long do you need?"

"Try to get her to wait until after we deal with Suezo. Right now I can only deal with one thing at a time. Emotionally I can't handle this right now; I will talk to her as soon as I can without having an attack. It wouldn't be productive if we do it before then." She frowned, thinking about how much stress they had put him under lately, how it must feel for him to take on so much. *_and yet… he has never complained… never said no. He wants to help despite what he is going through._ *

"I will convince her somehow… do I have permission to mention the attacks if I need to? It might be the only way to get her to wait." her voice was soft but she knew he heard her. He was silent a moment before he responded, he wasn't sure about telling her so quickly. This was not how he had wanted things to go, * _Since when does anything go as planned? I need to let go and trust her… I can't do this alone anymore. _*

"You can tell her if you need to…" He sighed, "I was hoping to ease her into this but… That isn't going to work it seems. I will trust your judgment Granity. Tell her about both of my other issues if you need, I assume Tiger will tell her about the depression side of things. You explained that to him didn't you?"

"Yes, I did after I read through the section again to make sure I understood it." Granity leaned her head against his shoulder again, her hand giving his a gentle squeeze in reassurance. "This is hard for you isn't it? Letting go and waiting to see her reaction?"

"It is yes, harder than you realize I think. My anxiety makes me want to have full control over things… letting go of that control can take a lot of effort at times depending on what it is." Granity was silent a moment,

"That's why you were submissive isn't it? You wanted to learn to let go…" he chuckled and smiled, * _perhaps I underestimated her… she does seem to understand. _*

"Correct, I was trying to force myself to let go more often. Akame knew of my issues, she was helping me to push myself slowly. I figured if I can let go more than my stress should go down, there will be less to be anxious about. It's not that easy though, this disorder is irrational and though I attempt to use rationalization to combat it, it doesn't always work." He felt her hand beginning to caress his chest again; he relaxed into her touch leaning his head against hers. He was extremely surprised at how well this was going. He hadn't really thought that they could accept him so easily, not after the nonsense he had seen with Rick. Perhaps it was just Granity, even if she or Tiger could accept his disorders could the others? Could Holly? He didn't know and that was what scared him the most, it was what kept him quiet for so very long.

"Genki, I know you are scared. I could see it as we spoke; you are fighting your fear and trusting me. I'm grateful for that; I will cherish your trust." She gently kissed his cheek, "I understand your fear, I feel it too. I haven't let my heart be vulnerable since I was hurt. Will you let me help you, as you help me?" He nodded,

"Yes, I'll let you help. We both need healing I guess. I never realized how well you understood me until now. I'm thankful for that, and that you haven't recoiled after finding out that I'm not what I appear to be all the time." She smiled and chuckled softly,

"We both pretend to be strong to hide our weaknesses. How could I not understand? Like you I hate being pitied or thrown out of events just because others deem me unable to do something. Nor do I want to be reminded of my weaknesses constantly. I get the impression you don't either, you hate talking about these 'issues' because it's bringing something to the forefront you'd rather forget about." Genki chuckled,

"You are right; I would like to forget about them…." Granity waited a moment before she made a suggestion,

"Genki I will make sure to delay Holly, but would it help you at all to talk to me first about this? About how you feel about what she did and what she might do now?" She could see him thinking again, he seemed uncertain if his eyes were any indication. *_ Would it help? That's a great question… logically if I'm struggling with Holly… talking to another might assist me. Emotionally? Not sure how my heart will deal with it. I know I can trust Granity… she has opened herself to me in a way I never thought she would. She's being vulnerable to me, so that I can be in return. I should try… even if it doesn't work, it doesn't make me feel better, or make it easier… it's worth a shot. I need to trust her as she is me… perhaps she can handle everything the others cannot._ * It took nearly five minutes for him to answer, in the meantime Granity just cuddled with him. She knew this would be a big step for him; he had been avoiding the topic as much as Holly.

* _Foolish girl, she hurt herself and him at the same time. Now neither of them truly trust each other…_ * Granity had been upset with her ever since she had learned the reason for the argument. She had been the first to stop blaming Genki; she had seen his pain for a split second and realized he was hurting far more then Holly. It was in that moment she had redirected her focus to Holly instead of him.

"I don't know if it will help per say… I haven't an answer for sure on that. But I am willing to try, I trust you, I no longer wish to fight this alone. I honestly can't do it alone any longer, I haven't much strength left." He turned his gaze to meet hers letting her see just how exhausted he was from everything going on. Granity nodded her understanding; she gently caressed his cheek now. Her eyes searching his a moment before she responded,

"I will gladly lend you my strength Genki, don't face this alone anymore." Her voice soft and gentle, encouraging him to let go and use her for his strength for a while. He smiled gently,

"Thank you Granity…" She smiled in return,

"Any time, I'll always be here for you." She gave into an impulse; very carefully she leaned forward and let their lips meet. Genki's eyes widened at the act but he soon relaxed as they shared their first kiss. It remained gentle and loving, conveying the emotions in their hearts. When they separated, Genki's eyes were searching hers again. He hadn't expected her to do that, but he understood its meaning. A smile graced his face and he leaned his forehead against hers, his hand coming up to caresses her cheek. They remained this way for a little while; he spoke softly after he found his words.

"You have no idea how much this is helping me. I was afraid for so long to tell anyone, it has been such a relief to finally be able to talk about this." Granity smiled,

"I'm glad to bring some comfort and relief to you. You deserve to be happy Genki, to be able to talk to someone about what ails you without fear." he felt her hand guiding him again, their lips met once more. Genki closed his eyes and opened himself to the love she was giving him; he slowly felt their bond forming as he did. Granity had moved to place her other hand on his chest, she was focusing on forming their bond but was aware of the love he was showing her in return. The bond didn't have to be formed this way but it's what she wanted to do. She knew that Genki also wanted it from how he was reacting to her. They slowly made out as their trust and love guided their bonding.

* * *

In the monster world...

Holly had waited till after dinner to speak with the others, it was when everyone could focus their attention the best. Tiger said he would support her as she told them the truth but it still scared her. Her fears were thrown aside when remember the pain she had caused Genki though. * _I can't believe I almost killed him… and for what? A bunch of fear and failed relationships! I'm not sure if he could ever forgive me… I doubt he will trust me like that again. Not that I blame him, I'm an emotional wreck myself. I can't even imagine what he's gone through. _* She was so disgusted with herself over the matter that she had felt nauseous. Somehow she had managed to eat her dinner but the feeling was still there. As the others filtered into the living room Holly prepared herself for the rough conversation ahead. She had been running from this for so long, it felt surreal to be talking about it now. When everyone was settled and attentive Tiger cleared his throat.

"Guys we have something we need to discuss." Holly's father looked intrigued now; he could read his daughter well and knew something was making her uncomfortable.

"What's up Tiger? It's pretty strange for a group discussion now days." Hare inquired curious as ever,

"Hare I asked Tiger to call you all here." Hare perked up as Holly spoke; he could see she was upset about something.

"What do you need... to tell us?" Golem asked in his usually slow manner. Holly sighed,

"I need to talk to you all about what happened between Genki and I." Holly heard them all become silent now, "Tiger brought something to my attention that I missed the other night. He also informed me of something I hadn't been aware of." She glanced up seeing them looking worried, she glanced to Tiger now. He took it as his cue to speak,

"I don't know if anyone else noticed… but Genki was faking smiles after he spoke with Suezo. He hid the fact that he was upset extremely well but both Granity and I saw it."

"I noticed though I thought he was still mad at me…" Suezo commented as the others shook their heads indicating they hadn't noticed.

"He wasn't mad at you; no he was upset over something he discussed with you. I managed to worm it out of him though it took quite a bit of effort." He glanced back at Holly,

"He was upset after he discussed why we weren't together with you Suezo." Suezo's eye got big, "I hadn't realized until Tiger came to talk with me that you all blamed him for that argument. It was never his fault, it was mine. I told him no that day when he asked if we could officially start dating." This caught them all off guard including her father. Yosho recovered quickly, asking the question everyone else had.

"Holly, why would you reject him?" Hare had shaken his stunned stupor off now.

"Yeah… we all thought you loved him!" Holly sighed trying to find her words,

"I was too afraid things wouldn't work out, we'd have to maintain lives in both worlds. Genki tried to convince me that he could do the double life thing that I wouldn't have to. But that would bring even more stress to the relationship. On top of that I was afraid of the portal, of going to his world. I have always had a very bad feeling about the portal… I can't explain it really. I allowed fear to control me that day and I hurt him. I never realized how much until Tiger told me that he was still upset about it." They had agreed not to tell the others about Genki's 'issues' or suicide attempt just yet. They wanted Genki to have the time and opportunity to fess up on his own. Holly had stressed to Tiger that another breach of trust would likely cause permanent damage. He had reluctantly agreed with her. Yosho thought a few things over a moment before speaking to his daughter again.

"Do you still love him Holly?" his words were blunt,

"I do yes… I wasn't sure at first but after a bit of soul searching I know I do. I never really moved on either." He nodded,

"Then tell him. If he thinks you haven't changed your mind I doubt he'll say anything." Tiger interjected now,

"Your right, he told me he had given up so that she could be happy. He didn't want to stress her; he went out of his way to take the blame for that argument."

"Holly, you know we want to help…" Hare offered, unsure of what else to do.

"I know Hare this is something I have to do on my own."

"You visit him again tomorrow right chi?"

"Yes, but tomorrow is not a good day for this…" She sighed, "He told me earlier his brother is in the hospital… I know he's visiting him in the morning. He's in critical condition apparently."

"Damn… the kid has it rough, you didn't mention that before." Tiger wasn't sure how to help Genki with everything going on. * _He's barely holding it together as it is… life really isn't fair to him._ * Everyone looked sad at the news, Hare finally piped up.

"Do you know what happened to his brother?" Holly looked surprised by the question; she closed her eyes a moment. * _Maybe I can test the waters… I don't know if Genki will be upset about this though… even if I have a good reason. Still I need to know how they will react to him…_ * she nodded and sighed,

"I do yes… it's kind of a touchy subject with Genki though." She glanced at everyone now, "Promise me this doesn't leave this house." They all looked at each other than each of them promised not to tell anyone else.

"Go ahead Holly; we will keep this to ourselves." Her father reassured her, he could see this was something she was unsure of sharing. Holly took a deep breath then started to speak again,

"His brother tried to commit suicide, he apparently nearly bleed out before he was found. Genki knows the cause of the attempt but not what triggered it specifically. He said he would be trying to figure that out tomorrow when he visits." The room was silent again, everyone was shocked. Suicide was extremely rare in their world; it was nearly foreign in concept.

"What do you mean he knows the cause of the attempt but not the trigger? Aren't those the same thing?" Suezo blurted out hastily, Holly shook her head.

"They are two separate things actually… I will try to explain." They were all very attentive now; her father appeared both worried and curious. "From what I have been told his brother has mental problem, they call them disorders in his world. He has a disorder called Depression; it caused him to try to take his own life. An extremely traumatic or emotional event would be the trigger. He wasn't able to handle that event whatever it was, from what Genki told me it would have to be extremely painful to get that response so quickly. Though I was also informed he has a second mental problem, Anxiety. His Anxiety would interact with and amplify his other problem." Holly had briefly read up on the disorders after her talk with Tiger. She could see the others were speechless again; it took several minutes for them to speak again. Tiger was the only one who was taking it well but he wouldn't tell them why.

"So he's insane?" Hare asked, Holly closed her eyes and shook her head again, * _Great… that will go over well. I guess testing the waters was good idea… _*

"Not insane, no. From what I read, depression is basically the inability to feel happy again due to imbalance in the brain. It can be handled if one had the proper medication. Genki told me he had no prior history of this, so this was an unknown issue. He has medication for his anxiety but not for this."

"What does the anxiety do?" Tiger probed he hadn't known about this ailment.

"It basically makes someone… over thinking things and feel stressed out and worried over the unknown. It can lead to panic attacks and black outs if things get out of hand." Holly could see the wolf monster thinking things over,

"Making mountains out of mole hills?"

"Basically, yes. Genki told me his brother doesn't handle his anxiety well in the first place."

"Genki help him chi?"

"He has tried Mocchi but his brother is stubborn, he doesn't let him help most of the time." She took a glance around the others seemed to be deep in thought, Suezo then asked.

"So is he similar to Rick then?" Holly was unsure of how to answer at first,

"Rick defiantly has a disorder but it's not anxiety. I'm not sure what he has actually." Tiger grunted now,

"I bet Genki knows. The Kid has always been kind and helpful to Rick. He's never treated him any differently than anyone else." Holly glanced over at Tiger, * _Tiger is right…_ *

"He might know yes, I could ask him I suppose." She shrugged, Holly noticed her father looking thoughtful.

"Holly you may be right about waiting till after things with his brother settle down. If he is too upset then he won't be able to talk to you about this properly." He saw his daughter nod, "I can't say I know much about these disorders but from the sounds of it they are only an issue if left untreated."

"From what I have read thus far that seems to be the case." He nodded again; it was then that Hare spoke up.

"Are you going to try again with him Holly?"

"That all depends on what he will allow…"

"He's not with anyone is he?"

"No, he's been single for a while now from what Akame said."

"Wow those two really are close…" She cleared her throat,

"They dated for a while Hare. She knows him extremely well." Hare's eye balls got big,

"What?! I thought he said…"

"They are no longer together, that's why he answered you the way he did."

"Do you know why they separated?" Yosho probed gently,

"It's my understanding it was mutual thing. They both could feel… that something wasn't quite right. Akame wanted him to find his soul mate, she seems to have found hers now."

"So he doesn't have any issues with it then?" Tiger asked,

"No, they seem to be the best of friends actually. He's even on good terms with her new partner."

"Lucky guy to have a blacksmith as a wife…" Hare pondered making Holly sweat drop, same sex relationships we nearly unheard of in the monster world, marriage was pretty much out of the question. Tiger raised a brow at her reaction,

"Why do I get there feeling that there is more to that story?" Hare glanced up now realizing Holly had a strange expression,

"Hare, they aren't married but it's not a man she is with."

"WHAT?!" Hare's eye balls bulged at the implication.

"So she's with a woman?" Tiger asked,

"Yeah, her partner at the forge, they both are blacksmiths actually."

"And you call me perverted…" Suezo mumbled, "Genki probably gets a good show…"

"SUEZO!" the eye ball cringed, Holly took a moment to regained her composure. "Genki does not watch anything. He actually doesn't care that they are in a same sex relationship. From what I understand it's… common enough in his world that no one really pays any attention to it." Yosho could tell that Holly was having some issues with Suezo but decided to leave that be. The lecherous eye stalk was always pushing her buttons it seemed.

"So it's considered normal then?" He asked his daughter, she nodded. "Then that's how it is there. His culture is different just like with many other things. Our morals may not apply in his world, we honestly don't know enough about his culture to know for sure." His words made everyone else think about how little they knew of Genki's world.

"So where is Granity?" Hare asked,

"She stayed with Genki… she's forming her bond with him as her second trainer." Holly had already spoken to Granity about revealing their trainer status.

"Wait second trainer?" Hare looked confused,

"I'm her first trainer Hare, but she wanted a male trainer as well. She still has some issues that I can't help her with."

"Guess he's going to get a good lay then…" Suezo mumbled making the others glare at him and Holly snap again,

"SUEZO!" He cringed again; he could see Holly was furious with him. "I do not want to hear you insinuating things like that ever again, do I make myself clear?" He nodded, gulping. "Honestly not everything is about sex you pervert." She sighed exasperatedly; the others hadn't appreciated his insults either. Yosho could tell his daughter was protective of her newest charge. He suspected, from what he remembered during his time as Moo, that Pixie had been abused by the man that unlocked her. He never said anything though, and he understood his daughter being upset; Suezo had practically called Granity a whore with his statement. From what he knew of her, Granity was unusual for a pixie breed, far more reserved and less flirty. She was not the type to sleep around at all. After Holly calmed down Tiger nudged her, she looked over at him unsure of what was going on.

"When you visit tomorrow just feel things out with Genki, I'm sure Granity will sense it if he's in pain. I know she will try to get him talking." Holly nodded,

"I will though I'm not sure if he will even talk to her right now."

"Give it time, once they start bonding I think he will." She nodded, she knew that was true but it might not happened right away. *_ I can only hope she can help him while I can't. _*

* * *

Genki had shown Granity around his home, making sure she knew where everything was. Once done he had decided it'd be a good time to give her a run down on his medication. He led her to his room and showed her the medicine cabinet in his master bath.

"This bottle contains my medicine for my attacks. I only need one pill." He handed her the bottle, she looked it over, then looked back at him confused.

"How does it open?"

"Push down on the top and twist left." She did so and found it opened after a few minutes of trying. She noticed the pills were a fairly decent size. Replacing the cap she handed it back to him. He put it away as she looked over his other medicine.

"Do you have medication for the depression as well?" He nodded and pointed to a different bottle.

"This one is for that, it is also one pill. I don't like taking it if I don't have to."

"Why?"

"I'm sure you noticed my strange mood earlier?"

"Yes, I did. It worried me."

"It makes me feel that way when I'm using it. I dislike how I feel but I know when I have to use it." She nodded,

"I understand, you use both sparingly, you want to do it on your own."

"I do yes." He closed the cabinet, "The rest of the meds in this cabinet are things for pain, fevers, stuff like that."

"Basic medication then?"

"Yeah" he walked back out of the bath into his room. He sat down on the bed; Granity noticed he seemed upset still.

"Are you feeling stressed?" He nodded, "How about I give you a massage?" He glanced over at her,

"I'd like that very much…"

"Lay down on your belly for me. You seem to carry a lot of your stress in your lower back and shoulders." Genki complied, resting his head in the pillows of his bed. Granity climbed up on the bed and straddled him, he felt her hands begin to work his neck and shoulders. Slowly working out the knots she found. He closed his eyes relaxing, eventually she moved down to between his shoulder blades. She felt a lot of tension there, she focused on the area under his shoulder blades. Soon Genki couldn't help himself, it felt so good he let out a soft moan. Granity heard it, raising a brow she continued working his tense muscles. His moans increased in volume and frequency when she got to the small of his back. She felt the biggest amount of tension here, * _so this seems to be where he carries most of his tension. It must feel incredible to him if he's moaning this much. I'll let him enjoy himself, we can talk about the moaning after I finish. _* it took Granity a few more minutes to get all the tension released, once she made sure his whole back was relaxed she stopped and came to sit beside him. He didn't move for a moment but did look up at her.

"Thanks, I feel much better." he smiled, she returned his smile,

"Anytime, I'm glad I could help. Though you surprised me with the moans of pleasure. I wasn't aware I was that good at massages." She teased him with a smirk, he blushed slightly then carefully rolled over onto his back to speak with her.

"You are exceptionally good at massages Granity" he reached over to take her hand making she chuckle at him.

"Doesn't explain the moaning though."

"I supposed not." he sighed, "I have been sensitive to touch ever since my Anxiety first kicked in. From what I can tell from my research its an over stimulation of the nerves in my body due to my emotional state. The more stressed I am the more sensitive I get. It can get so bad that a simple touch will cause pain at times. Thankfully most of the time it just gives extra sensation, a pleasureful touch will feel even better than normal. If my emotional stress goes down then the sensitivity does dissipate for awhile."

"Ah that explains your reaction the other night as well. I wasn't aware of that sensitivity." She paused a moment thinking, "So releasing tension feels very good to you huh?"

"It does yes."

"Were you holding back the other night?"

"I was yes… I figured Holly thought I was weird enough as it was with all the kinky sex talk stuff. I did need to be moaning too…" He blushed slightly, Granity chuckled at this. Smirking she moved to lay down next to him now, resting her head on his chest, her hand resting on his stomach. She heard his heart rate pick up slightly, but he seemed to relax again quickly. His arms came around her to gently hold her.

"I don't think you need to worry so much. She will accept you Genki, it will just take time. I understand you were trying to ease her into things, you were afraid it would scare her off to find out too much too fast. You realize she hurt herself that day too right? She doesn't admit to it but she did… she no longer trusts herself at times." She gently began to caress his abdomen, she heard his breath hitch but he didn't stop her.

"I know she hurt herself yes… It was obvious to me that she was having issues after she rejected me. The fact that she refused to admit it meant I could do nothing to help, I wasn't allowed to talk about it…" He sighed, "I will be honest Granity, I don't believe she can fully accept me… if she could throw away love because she was afraid it wouldn't work or of a portal… I just don't see her being able to get through this." His voice was filled with sorrow, it wasn't something he liked thinking about but it's what he believed to be true. Granity was shocked by his words, she never realized he had completely lost faith in Holly. * _though given then pain she put him through over such a stupid reason… I can kind of understand._ *

"If that's true then why are you telling her at all? Why lead her down a path where she could understand?" Her voice was soft and inquisitive. She suspected he still loved Holly, that he still wanted to try but that his hands had been tied for so long that he no longer had the strength to try again. She felt his hand begin to caress her side absentmindedly. It took him a moment to respond, so she just closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch. She had wanted to be with someone this way for awhile. She had tried with Holly but she always seemed to get embarrassed after a little bit and start to fidget. Genki seemed to relax the more she touched him, which is exactly what she needed right now. Gentle relaxing touch and being held.

"I can't hide my stress anymore… you were all bound to notice eventually. As I get older my issues seem to get worse not better, it takes more will power to deal with them. I really don't have the strength to be hiding the problem any longer. I figured the best I could do is try to introduce her to it so at least it won't be a shock when she sees me have an attack. Its bound to happen sooner or later." She hadn't expected that response and took a moment to assess her own. *_ So he really is getting worse? Perhaps I can help him relieve his stress…_ *

"So you're stress is getting worse?"

"Yes, it seems to be."

"Genki what are stress relieving activities for you?" He thought a moment before answering,

"Physical labor or exercise, helping others, sometimes cooking or playing a game works, cuddling can help…"

"Is sex a release for you?"

"It is yes… though I don't want you to feel you have to do that Granity. I would rather our intimacy come about naturally for you not out of some perceived need on my part. I can masturbate if I need to…" He kept his voice soft, he honestly was still unsure of this though he was enjoying the companionship. Granity wasn't ready for sex yet, she understood he didn't want her to feel any pressure to bed him. * _He is a sweetheart, Holly really missed out on a great man by rejecting him. _*

"Would companionship help?" He nodded,

"Yes just being with someone helps."

"How about I stay with you then? We can slowly learn more about each other as things progress. I'm more than willing to cuddle with you; I could use that as well."

"You want to feel safe don't you?" Granity nodded,

"Yes, Holly tries… but she can't quite give me the security I need. Yes I feel safe with her but even relaxing like this leads to arousal for her. It makes everything difficult between us actually. I really need to be held, to cuddle with someone for a while so I too can relax." Granity blushed at her confession, Genki wore a smile now. He pulled her closer to him and leaned his head down to kiss her forehead.

"As long as you don't mind my crazy schedule you are welcome to stay. I will warn you, I seem to be a drama magnet. Something is always happening unexpectedly in my life. I never know when I will get a surprise." She chuckled at this,

"I don't mind at all Genki, I want to see how your life is in your world. I promise I won't interfere with your normal activities, I just want to spend time together." He smiled and nodded to her,

"Then you are welcome to stay, I'll be sure to show you some other things this week so you have something to do while I'm at work. Though I suspect you will spend some time with Holly, the timing could get weird for that. Remember there is over a 12 hour time difference between worlds." Granity nodded, she had noticed the time issues before though she hadn't realized they were that far off. Granity hesitated a moment before asking her next question,

"Genki… would you allow me to stay with you tonight?" Genki glanced her way with a brow raised at that inquiry. He hadn't counted on her being so forward, * _though she had always been blunt…_ *

"I don't see an issue with it if you need some company. I honestly could use the companionship right now."

"I just didn't want to cause any issues if you need to relieve yourself or anything…" He shook his head,

"Honestly my sex drive is pretty much nonexistent at the moment. If my depression kicks up my drive goes down. As long as my emotional state is this way I won't be really that interested in physical actives like that. It's one of the side effects of my disorders, it's something I have learned to deal with over the years." Granity was unsure of how to respond to that, she hadn't really thought much about how his body reacted to his mental problems. She realized that perhaps she needed to understand more about his specific disorders.

"Do you still feel up to teaching me?"

"You mean that trick about subtle signs?"

"Yeah."

"I do yes… We can do that now if you want."

"I didn't want to keep you up if you are tired…"

"I'm fine, I slept most of the day actually." he noticed her surprised look but didn't elaborate, "one of the things you need to do is pay attention to my breathing. Between that, having the hand your not using near my heart to feel my heart beat and watching how my body reacts you should be able to tell if I like what you are doing or not. I won't tell you if I do but if you come to a conclusion and ask if it's right I will verify it for you."

"How am I supposed to touch you though? I've never used touch as a turn on…" He smiled, moving his hand to her arm, he ghosted his finger tips over her arm. Her reaction was instant, she gasped and shivered under his touch. He alternated between the pads and the tips of his fingers, just lightly caressing. She closed her eyes, her body shuttering under his touch again. * _If this feels this good on my arm… the rest of my body would be unbelievable._ *

"The whole point of sensation play is to create unique sensations for your partner to enjoy. Sometimes extremely light touches do the trick, but for other parts of the body a firm touch can do the same. Knowing where and when to alternate touches is key but it's also something you find out while exploring. Everyone reacts differently to touch, it's best to just let them tell you how they feel." He moved his fingers over her shoulder in a circular pattern making her sigh, soon his finger tips traced her collar bone, a moan of pleasure followed this action. He smiled seeing her reactions, he always enjoyed pleasuring another it was another reason he was submissive. He continued to touch her for a little bit, letting her enjoy herself. He knew some of this could become arousing for her but he was trying to keep it purely pleasureful rather that arousing.

"So it's mostly about exploring your partner then?" she felt her breath hitch as he brushed over her neck.

"Yes, I want you to explore slowly, watch and listen. You'll know what I like if you do." He saw her nod and he stopped his touches. She seemed slightly out of breath,

"That was rather arousing…"

"I wasn't trying to arouse you. Though I realize some of the areas I touched apparently are very sensual for you. That varies from person to person, what areas are sensual as opposed to relaxing." She smiled,

"I will try my best to learn from you, don't make it easy for me OK? Holly is going to be difficult so I'm going to need to learn this." He nodded, he sat up briefly and removed his shirt, tossing it into the basket near by. He lay back down as she looked over his upper body, a smirk formed on her face as she lean over and kissed him briefly. "You look great without your shirt on…" He chuckled,

"You should have seen how red Holly got when she saw me."

"Oh I can imagine she was a cherry, this would definitely arouse her." She laughed, her hand then gently came to rest on his right peck. Slowly she began to caress him there, she noticed he had closed his eyes. Slowly she traced over his muscles with the tips of her fingers. She noticed that his breath hitched when her fingers traced over his abdomen. Slowly she played with this location, listening to his breathing and seeing his flesh shutter from the sensations. Once she was certain of this area she moved her finger tips back up to his pecks. Changing to the pads of her fingers yielded a better reaction here. * _I get it… each location needs a different sensation… _* she decided to trace around his nipples, she only got a small reaction to that. She tilted her head trying to figure him out, soon she pressed down and rubbed his nipples, his body shivered and his breath hitched again. He didn't moan but she figured he wanted to. She played with his nipples a little longer noticing how his body reacted, she then moved to his arms. A feather light touch on his shoulders seemed to work here. After exploring for awhile, she spoke to him. "You said you'd verify my conclusions?"

"Yes, I will." She traced her way slowly to his abdomen again, he shuttered under her touch.

"You really like being touched this way here, it's probably arousing for you." He nodded,

"Correct, though a light touch is not the only thing that works in that location." she tilted her head again, carefully she changed her touch to something more firm, she could hear a change in his breathing. * _Ah I get it now. A feather light touch is arousing and a firm touch is relaxing… I should explore each location better… _*

"I understand… I wasn't thinking about the different types of sensations."

"I figured you missed it. That's why I nudged you a bit. You seem to be doing well though." she moved her fingers back to his nipples to firmly play with them.

"This arouses you?" he nodded,

"Very much so."

"Did the lighter touch do anything for you here?"

"Yes, it's more of a playful sensual touch rather than arousing."

"I think I understand." Her fingers continued to move over him for a little while longer, she found that the base of his neck was sensual and arousing for him. After a little while she told him her other conclusions, he confirmed or denied each as they went. After while he looked over at her smiling,

"If you do this with Holly I think you will be able to get her off easier."

"You may be right, thank you for teaching me… you really did make it hard. I know you were resisting even the physical response your body had."

"I was trying, but it's been awhile since I've been touched this way. It was extremely difficult to resist."

"Will you let me hear your full response now?" He smirked,

"Wanting to see how good you truly are at this huh?"

"I want to hear that I'm pleasing you…" he could see the yearning in her eyes, he nodded.

"I won't hold back any longer, though I would suggest waiting a few minutes before you begin again. Let me body relax first." She nodded, instead she leaned over and kissed him again, he moaned slightly. Caught off guard by her once again as she slowly made out with him. He returned the kiss with equal vigor, * _Damn if I wasn't so emotional right now I would be so hard on for her. Everything she does arouses me… though perhaps that is more to do with a lack of sex on my part then just her doing it._ * after a bit she pulled back, he smiled to her as she began to touch him again. He moaned as her fingers traced over his body. His eyes closed again, as he let her explore once more. *_ If she is this good at just touching me… sex will be mind blowing… _* Granity enjoyed his moans of pleasure, though she noticed he wasn't erect. Remembering what he said before she wondered if his depression had suppressed his physical arousal as well. Shrugging the thoughts off she turned her attention to exploring and pleasuring him.

* _If I can get Holly moaning like this… it will make things so much easier. _* She continued for another ten minutes before she turned her touch soothing again. Laying down with him she helped him relax by gently massaging his muscles. "Genki thank you so much…"

"It was my pleasure, let me know if Holly gives you any trouble." he felt her nod, his body was still sparking from the sensations he had felt.

"Does the depression suppress your physical arousal?"

"It can at times yes."

"What about now?"

"It was suppressing it to a degree… I'm about half hard actually." he confessed, though he hadn't really thought about an erection since the touches got more pleasureful.

"Do you feel any better?"

"Emotionally?" she nodded, "Yes a bit better actually. I will confess I really enjoy being touched Granity, it helps me. Laying here with you is also helping, I have felt so alone lately… I think it's been making my depression and stress worse."

"Then I'm glad I asked to sleep next to you tonight. We both need companionship right now… I have needed to be with someone for awhile. You're not the only one feeling alone or scared."

"I take it Holly can't help with this?"

"She is too worried about the others finding out about us making love to let me stay with her at night. The only time I stayed with her was during my mental break down…. When the others thought nothing of it. You know same sex relationships are almost unheard of in our world right?"

"I know yes, but I also know that Holly is bisexual. She needs to be able to express that side of herself without fear. That's why I had no issue giving you a safe place to do that in this world. I would have suggested it myself if you hadn't. She's suppressed way too much of herself to conform to society. It needs to stop before she hurts herself even more." Granity felt a warmth in her heart she hadn't felt before at his words, a few tears fell from her eyes as she cuddled into him more. He pulled her closer, he may not know why she was crying but he understood she needed him right now. He also knew sometimes words could unexpectedly have an emotional impact, he had felt it many times in the past himself. * _He truly does love her… I can't imagine how much pain it caused him to feel being so in love yet unable to tell her… to be with her… Holly… you are such a fool._ * after awhile she seemed to calm down,

"Sorry for the water works…" she mumbled,

"It's fine, you don't need to apologize."

"It's weird… I normally am not this emotional…"

"It's because you feel safe. I'm glad you feel safe with me and can express yourself. Don't worry about your emotions, just relax and let them go. You know I won't judge you for them Granity." She smiled, she understood what he meant now. She rested with him for a bit just enjoying being in his arms, his hand gently stroking her side. He shifted, rising to sit up now.

"I need relieve myself, I'll be back in a moment. After that how about we both get some rest?" he smiled to her and she nodded in response. He retreated to the bathroom closing the door as she got up and turned down the covers. Climbing in she lay there thinking over what had happened this evening. * _Honestly I never thought he'd open up to me so easily… I thought it would be a struggle… perhaps it's because he is so exhausted. He can't hide it any longer; he needed to release it, to talk it out. I guess he decided to trust me with his heart and hope for the best. I will cherish that trust… though I do wonder… could he ever trust Holly again. He loves her deeply, it's obvious._ * she sighed, she was so frustrated with Holly right now, *_ Seriously he is such a loving and gentle guy…. Yet she threw away his love instead of confiding in him. He could have helped her through her fear… I understand now why he feels he can't trust her, why he no longer believes in her. I can't say as I blame him… she still fears being herself at home… fears rejection._ * she heard him returning and smiled seeing him in his boxers. * _My his whole body is in great shape… _* he climbed back into bed with her and turned the light out after setting his alarm. He shifted to hold her once more as she cuddled with him, gentle he kissed her. She let him do as he pleased, their kiss remained gentle though it lasted for a few minutes. He seemed to relax with her even more as he settled into sleep.

"Good night Granity, sweet dreams."

"You too love." he chuckled at this pet name, his hand moving to soothingly stroke her side again. She let herself drift off in his arms, feeling safe for the first time in a long time. He smiled in the darkness and he closed his eyes. * _I never imagined she would need me this way… I feel privileged to be able to assist her like this. It's something I will cherish, she is definitely very special to me even if the love I feel is different from what I have felt for others. I can't even imagine what the future holds, she always seems to surprise me with something new and unexpected. I can only hope I can help her heal these old wounds, she deserves to be free of this pain. The Kami have defiantly blessed me this day… _* he let his mind relax as a feeling a peace fell over him. He would sleep well tonight despite what was happening in his life.

* * *

_AAN: I hope you all are enjoy it so far. More to come soon, I'm trying to bounce back to MOTH too and get another chapter of that done as well. _


	6. Overload

_AAN: More angst this chapter. It's still going to be a little bit before main pair get together but this needs to happen to set that up. I promise there will be some humor scattered about these chapters to off set the heaviness._

* * *

**Overload**

When Genki woke in the morning he felt much better, he found Granity snuggled up against him still. He relaxed just enjoying having her by his side; he hadn't slept this well in a long time. She truly was a god send right now, exactly who he needed to help him. * _I never realized how much we have in common until now… perhaps we truly need each other to recover from our pain. I will definitely confide in her after my visit today… it's going to be incredibly hard on me. I just hope I can push any attacks off and not need my medication for it. I hate that stuff even more than the anti-depressants. _* he decided to just relax until his alarm went off, he hadn't felt this good since he was Akame. Truly the loneliness had been getting to him, something he hadn't realized until now. * _I guess she was right… I just can't be alone… that fear I can't face or conquer._ * After a bit his thoughts drifted to Holly, he had avoided talking about what happened since that day. Yes he had spoken to Akame but he never felt like he could truly tell her everything. Akame understood his feelings and why he had almost given up on life, she understood many things about him. But there were somethings she couldn't understand; yes she now believed Holly was his soulmate, but what she didn't see was that the gaping wound in his heart had never healed. It had festered over the years, becoming increasingly more painful. It was to the point now that just thinking about the event or talk with her about such topics could send him into an attack. He knew this wasn't healthy, it shouldn't be having this type of effect on him years later; but it was and there was little he could do about it at this point. * _My only hope now is to try talking with Granity… if I can't then… there is no point anymore to pretending I'm OK being around Holly. It's becoming too painful; I want her to be able to live her life the way she wants. I don't want her to feel so guilty about what she did to me that she chains herself to me out of obligation. I couldn't live with myself if that happened… she had been chained up her whole life… unable to truly express herself. It needs to stop before she has problems._* he felt Granity beginning to wake, her hand moving over his abdomen once more, she seemed to like touching him sensually. Perhaps it was just a thing her breed drifted towards, they were very sensual creatures after all.

"Morning, you sleep well?" he spoke softly, she stretched and yawned. A soft smile gracing her lips as her eyes found his.

"Very well, thank Genki. I haven't felt this safe in a long time." He smiled in return, his hand moving to caress her side gently, she sighed under his touch. He had realized that touch played an important role in her relationships based on her reactions the prior night.

"I'm glad I could provide that for you."

"What about you? Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, better than usual." he felt her caress him again, a soft moan escaping his lips as she did.

"I'm glad." She leaned over him now, letting their lips meet. His other hand came up to her jaw to caress her face. Their kiss slowly became deeper and more heated, his own long suppressed desires rising slightly. His mood brighter today than is was yesterday, his emotions more relaxed even though he hadn't worked through everything yet. Granity pulled back after a minute, she was panting her eyes showing a playful side to them. "I see you are a bit more frisky this morning." she smirked at him, he chuckled trying to catch his own breath.

"I suppose I am. It's probably because I'm so relaxed at the moment." she smiled again to him, it was obvious it made her happy that she could help him this way. "I will probably need your help after I see my brother." She nodded, moving to rest her forehead against his.

"I will be happy to help. Will you be OK until you get back?"

"I should be yes, we'll see how long I'm OK once I get back though. I'd rather not use my pills if I don't have to." she frowned a that,

"Is your stress that bad?"

"Not right now but I bet it will be by the time I return… This will be very hard for me…" She moved to lay down on top of him now, holding him close. Her breath tingling the skin of his neck. Even though it was only her upper body on his he could feel the effect it was having on him. * _I seriously need to masturbate later… maybe when I shower I can manage it. I'm way too sensitive right now to my desire._ *

"I will do everything I can to help you."

"I know you will. I plan to do some yoga before I leave, it should help center my emotions so I can handle things for while."

"Yoga?"

"It's a type of exercise routine that is all about energy manipulation and controlling ones breathing. I find it helps me focus and recenter after I have a rough day." She was silent a moment before asking,

"Could I watch? I'd like to learn how you handle your problems." He smirked, part of him knew she was curious about how life was in this world, but she also wanted to know more about him specifically.

"I don't mind you watching. I can teach you a little about it later this week if you like."

"Thanks, I don't want to burden you though."

"You aren't, I feel better with you here… it's been a long time since I've been able to freely talk to someone about how I feel. I thank you for that, it means a lot to me." He felt her shift now, she was still on him but her eyes were searching his again. For what he wasn't sure,

"You still love Holly don't you?" Her voice was soft but the question made his eyes widen. He hadn't expected this topic to come up. He sighed, his first instinct was to break eye contact but he didn't he knew what she was looking for now. Looking deep into her concerned eyes and nodded,

"I do yes… I have never stopped loving her despite everything that has happened. Apart of me wanted to at one point… to resent her for what she did to me but I couldn't." he could see his words had an impact, she smiled sadly to him.

"You know she never got over you either right?" He gave a short bitter laugh at that,

"I know she never moved on… I do question how much she actually loved me though…"

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday when we were talking about Suezo, she said she had to try because she loved him. Yet… she refused to try at all when it came to me. Her words hurt, it implies that she never really loved me. Perhaps I'm being too sensitive due to my emotional state…" he shook his head closing his eyes, it really had hurt to hear her speak those words. He had never expected such a simple statement to hurt so much, but it had stung to his core. He hated to think he had been led on the whole time, that she had only lusted for him. * _No… she has never been that vain… if it was lust she would have wanted more… we never even really kissed for heavens sake._ * he dismissed his thoughts on that but it did little to lessen the sting.

Granity was having a hard time explaining that herself, she could see why it had hurt him. Why he felt that Holly had never truly loved him, but she didn't believe that to be true herself. She knew Holly did love him deep down. Whether that had ever truly been romantic love? Well that was up for debate at this point. * _He is extremely sensitive to words and phrasing of things. Overly sensitive? Possibly but given how much pain he's in I can hardly blame him. I see now why he was never able to recover on his own. I need the have a heart to heart with her, this isn't just about his suicide attempt anymore. His heart is still hurting bad, if handled incorrectly… he might relapse._ * Granity sighed before she very gently caressed his cheek. She knew he was holding tears back, she could see it in his expression.

"Let it go Genki… holding the pain in won't help." She spoke softly, leaning her forehead against his again. After a few minutes he relented letting the tears fall, silently letting his pain go. Granity continued to be affectionate with him while he cried. *_ I really believe he took the brunt of the pain that day… Holly never felt this torn up. I need to see if she truly loves him romantically… if she doesn't then perhaps keeping her distance is best. He needs romantic love to heal…_ * She resolved to get to the bottom of Holly's emotions, knowing if she didn't this would never get resolved correctly. *_ I only hope that Holly will understand… I know he doesn't want her to know about his other issues… but if she doesn't know then worse things could happen. After all we have been putting stress on him without realizing it's impact. Perhaps I can balance things between them. They both hide their true feelings, afraid of each other. Holly will have to make the leap of trust this time, he responded to me well when I took a chance on him. I can only hope he might be willing to try if she does the same… but the question still remains could he ever trust her with his heart again? I know he's terrified of the prospect of opening up to her again._ * She frowned, she hated to think that he too would succumb to fear but at least he had a real reason to be afraid. Holly was only panicking over something that _**might**_ happen. She dismissed this * _No he is strong enough to push past his fear but what would it take for him to be willing to do so… I need to ask. I can't guess at this, I need to know what it would take for him to forgive her and be willing to try again. _* After Genki's tears stopped and he seemed to calm back down she gently kissed him. He responded to her, needing the love she was willing to give him. After a few moments they parted and she spoke softly, "You feeling any better?"

"Yes, thank you… you were right I needed to release it."

"Perhaps later we can discuss this further. I won't stress you out before you visit your brother any further. I hadn't realized how this would stress you."

"Its fine, I know why you asked." he hadn't bothered to open his eyes; he did feel like moving just yet anyway.

"Can I ask one more thing of you?" He nodded, "What would it take for you to be able to trust Holly enough to try and rebuild things between you?" he looked confused now,

"Do you mean trust her with my heart?"

"Yes, what would it take for you to be able to do so?" He sighed heavily; it was a fair question on her part. One he hadn't even thought of really, he had long given up on such a relationship.

"I'm not sure… I've never really thought about it…"

"Why haven't you?"

"I let her go… though it hurts I accepted that I had lost her years ago." She hadn't expected that answer, frowning she tried to think of what to do now. * _Damn… he accepted her answer and gave up entirely… _* Quickly she thought of something,

"Genki I want you to do a little exercise with me. For a moment I want you to pretend Holly realized her mistake and changed her mind. What would it take for her to prove to you that she is serious and she will never hurt you like that again? What would it take for her to prove her love to you?" Genki's expression told her he wasn't thrilled with this exercise, but he seemed to be thinking it over. * _I hope this works; I need to have an answer to work with. There has to be a way to get them together again… well if Holly's love is romantic in nature anyway… _* for his part he was trying to imagine what he would need as proof. The question of whether she loved him remained but he pushed that aside for now. Instead he focused on the scenario he had been given. * _What would it take? That's a good question. Trust has to be slowly rebuilt… yet Granity got me to open up easily… what would make me feel safe with Holly? _* As he thought he realized the answer was obvious but wouldn't be easy for her.

"Hypothetically, if she were to realize her mistake and change her mind she would have to pursue me. If she wants to court then she will have to initiate it." He sighed, "The trust is another issue entirely…. The only thing I can think of that would be proof to me, after being lead on like I was, is for her to be completely vulnerable to me. Being willing to share things with me that she wouldn't with anyone else. If she can open her heart to me in that way and be willing to take a chance on getting hurt herself like I did. Then and only then could I attempt to trust her again." Though he understood why Granity had asked, he doubted that Holly would change her mind. Right now Holly would be acting out of guilt not out of love. "Granity… I want to be clear on this. I will not accept forced love. I know she will feel guilty over what happened, especially now that she is aware of my 'issues'. I do not want her to shackle herself to me out of guilt or some perceived obligation. It wouldn't make me feel any better about things if she did. If she doesn't love me that's fine, I want her to be true to herself." He felt Granity hold him again, resting her forehead against his once more. She understood him,

"I will make sure her love is true first Genki. I understand why you don't want her to act out of guilt. Please trust me with this, I will help both of you find closure." He lay still for a moment then slowly his hand moved to caress her side again,

"I trust you Granity." his voice was soft but he knew she heard him. After a moment he shifted to kiss her. His other hand on her jaw holding her there as he made out with her. Granity responded in kind, understanding his need for affection. When he parted from her he whispered, "Thank you…"

"Any time Genki, I want you to heal." after a few more minutes of comfortable silence his alarm went off startling them both. He chuckled and turned it off, looking over at her with a smile.

"We should get up, I need to get a few things done before I head out. You should probably call over and see if you can meet up with Holly. It will be rather late for her with the time difference." She nodded,

"You're right, I'm hoping she won't mind a late night jump." He chuckled at her comment,

"I'm sure she will be fine with it. Hopefully no one else has any issues with it. I'd rather not have to have another discussion with a certain eyeball right now." This made her laugh, as she could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"I would hope not after you dragged him off the other day. It was hilarious to see him flailing around trying to get loose. I have no clue how you had such a good hold on him." Her eyes shined with amusement as he smirked,

"That is my secret but I'm happy I made some amusement for everyone." He rose and walked to his closet to grab some clothes for the day.

* * *

Granity excused herself and went downstairs so he would have some privacy. She decided it was best to get her call over with now before they ate.

Turning the device on she took a deep breath before turning the microphone on.

"Hey guys is Holly still up?" it took a moment for them to respond, Hare apparently had heard her.

"Yeah she is. You need her?"

"If you would please Hare." there was silence for a moment, Genki wandered down stairs while she waited. He noticed what she was doing but left her to it. Instead he went about getting somethings together to make breakfast.

"Granity what did you need?" Holly's voice sounded both tired and confused, Genki took note of it but remained silent.

"I need to have a quick chat with you. Can you bounce over while Genki is off seeing his brother?" Holly seemed to debate this a moment,

"I probably can though I'm not sure if I can stay awake for very long to be honest."

"It shouldn't take long and if you need I'm sure you can take a nap before you return. I doubt Genki will mind." She glanced over at him to see him nod to her question.

"I don't want to impose…" Genki rolled his eyes and indicated for Granity to turn on the mic.

"Holly it's not imposing if it was offered. If you can't jump tonight that's fine. Wait till later and I'll let you two have the room down stairs for your discussion. I need to meditate tonight anyway." Granity gave him a look that said he would be explaining later. He smiled and winked at her making her laugh at him while he went back to making breakfast. After a few minutes Holly responded,

"Alright, I can jump in around 40 minutes. Will that work?"

"That will be just fine. See you then." Granity smirked, and glanced to Genki who merely raised a brow at her expression. After she turned off the device she moved to the table, Genki had already made his coffee and sat some out for her as well. Once he finished with the crepes he was making he brought them over to the table. "You are definitely a chef at heart." He chuckled at her comment,

"It's something that I find relaxing. I've gotten really good at several things just because they are relaxing for me."

"I'm glad you found some nice hobbies." they ate in relative silence but both were content with it. Granity decided to ask about his meditation later, knowing he already had a lot on his mind right now.

"Can you open the portal on your own or will you need my help?"

"I remember most of it… but I'd feel better if you were there to make sure I got it." He nodded his confirmation.

"I understand, I will stay till she arrives safely then."

"It's the same procedure to send her back right?"

"Yes, though from the sounds of it she might have to take a nap first."

"Yeah I gathered that from her voice. I won't let her leave half-awake don't worry." he nodded,

"You said you want to know more about my disorders right?"

"Yes, I do. I want to be able to help you." he nodded,

"I'm going to give you two books then. They should help you understand things a bit better. The other one was more of an overview. These delve into specifics of each disorder. They are more complex but it's my hope that you will understand most of what they teach." Granity nodded, she smiled to him as his eyes became unfocused for a moment. She tilted her head slightly in confusion; unsure of what he was thinking of now.

"Are you alright?" he shook his head,

"Not really but there is little I can do about it for now. I will do my yoga and hopefully be OK for a bit."

"You're worried about your bother aren't you?"

"I am yes, but it will do me no good to worry needlessly. He is safe for now; the hospital has him under observation." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was her. * _Wait… he's using logic to push his anxiety back… I understand what he meant now. _*

"You're right, he is safe with them watching over him." she smiled to him and he nodded appreciating the help.

* * *

After they finished their meal Genki lead her down to his library where the pulled two books off the shelf.

"This one talks about depression." he handed her a blue and purple colored book, "and this one is about anxiety." he handed her a brown hard cover book. "They both are very detailed so I would take it slow. There is no rush on finishing them. I'd rather you understand what is said than to blow through them rapidly." She nodded,

"I will take my time. If I have questions I'll be sure to ask." he nodded and smiled to her, she could see this meant a lot to him.

"I will answer what I can, even with my resources I don't always have an answer." she chuckled at him,

"I don't expect you to know everything Genki." he nodded chuckling in return,

"I suppose not. I need to head upstairs again, the room I use for yoga and meditation is upstairs." He saw her nod. She placed the books on a side table near a chair she would use later. He walked out of the room with her following closely. She looked confused by his meditation and yoga room. It made him chuckle again, * _Well it definitely isn't something the monster world knows about that's for sure._* he had never heard of yoga or meditation being mentioned in their world so he knew they likely didn't practice it.

"So is it made this way to be relaxing?"

"Yes, it's meant to be a calming room. Like I said I will explain more later, right now why don't you have a seat over there?" He pointed to a small window seat. She did so as he walked to the middle of the room. Though he usually preferred to do this in just his underwear he would do it clothed this time. "I practice Hatha Yoga which is designed to help reduce stress in the body. If you get really curious before I explain there is a book on it in my library." She nodded as he began his routine. He focused on his breath moving with fluid, practiced ease to each position. He was only doing a short routine for now. He didn't have time for a full one, plus he didn't want to exert himself too much this morning. Some of the advanced moves required a lot more flexibility then he could muster in his jeans and t shirt. Granity remained silent just observing, * _He is defiantly controlling his breath a lot with this… it does seem to be releasing his tension somehow. Perhaps it does manipulate his inner energy. I will definitely have to check out that book… though I will focus on his anxiety first. That seems to be the most pressing issue._ * She suddenly sweat dropped seeing Genki balancing on one foot with the other straight out and his hands forward. *_ how on earth is he doing that and staying upright?_ * She tried to stay quiet for him despite the weird poses. *_ If I ever did this… I would not want anyone watching… these poses are far too embarrassing even for me._ * Once Genki finished his routine he glanced over to see her in deep thought. She smiled upon noticing him finished with his yoga.

"Was that a full routine?"

"No, but I can't do the full thing right now." she nodded, "I will do some later this week so you can see the full thing. I believe we have a few minutes before Holly jumps across." He walked to the door and waited for her to follow. She soon found herself in the office, she carefully turned the devices on in the order that she could remember. He smiled seeing her get familiar with such technology. She could see Holly waiting on the platform, she looked exhausted.

"I am so getting her to take a nap."

"Defiantly… she looks like she is about to pass out." Granity quickly pressed the button when Hare hit the unlock switch. "You didn't even need me it seems." Genki smiled to her looking rather proud of her. Granity return the smile as they both waited for Holly. When Holly finally came through she landed awkwardly. She was a bit more awake now but hadn't caught herself well. Genki grabbed hold of her and pulled her to her feet, "Are you alright?" Holly nodded though she still seemed a bit out of it.

"Yeah I think so…" She noticed Genki seemed concerned still but didn't say anything else.

"You seriously look like you are about to pass out. You could have told me that you were exhausted." Granity scolded her as she helped her walk to the kitchen. Genki followed behind, he walk to the counter, grabbing a new mug from the cupboard he filled it with coffee. He brought it over to Holly,

"If you are insisting on staying awake I'd recommend drink some of that. It will temporarily wake you up." Holly accepted the cup and took a sip while Granity gave him a look that said 'why did you do that?'. He smiled in response, making Granity roll her eyes.

"You sure you can manage a conversation right now?"

"I'll be fine in a minute Granity." Holly smiled to her sincerely,

"I will be heading out now, feel free to make more coffee if you need it. I should be back in a few hours with any luck." He walked to where his phone was and began to gather his things.

"Make sure you don't over stress yourself." Granity said in a serious tone,

"Don't worry, I promise I'll be able to make it back here just fine." he smiled to her as he threw his coat on and walked out the door. She heard the lock click as he went; soon he drove off towards the hospital leaving the two ladies alone.

* * *

Holly looked at Granity rather confused, *_ She must have gotten more out of him based on that comment._ * She decided to see what Granity had needed, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Many things actually. You awake enough to remember things yet?" Holly nodded,

"I am the coffee seems to be working. I take it he told you about his issues based on your comment to him?" Granity stared at her a moment before laughing,

"Yep you are definitely awake." she then nodded, "Yes he told me about all of them. He also mentioned that he would probably not be in the best of shape after his visit with his brother. That why I was concerned." Holly seemed intrigued now,

"Am I allowed to know about the other issues?"

"You are though you need to keep them to yourself for now. I believe he will tell the others later once he is feeling a bit better. Right now he's a bit overwhelmed with everything. Though I was able to get him to relax this morning a bit, it seemed to help."

"Another massage?"

"That was last night, but yes it helped. I stayed with him last night, it seemed to relax him. Before you ask, no we were not intimate. He isn't ready for that yet and neither am I."

"Companionship then? Like you first did with me?"

"Yes, exactly that." she nodded as she decided how to approach the other topics. * _For phoenixes sake I'm so bad at delicate conversations…_ * She sighed finally giving up on being tactful, "As far as his other issues go there are two others beyond his depression."

"Couldn't find a tactful way to go about this I see…." Holly gave her a playful smirk making Granity sigh again and nod. "What are the other two?" Holly seemed mildly amused by Granity's lack of tact but the concern shown through her features, she was still very worried about Genki.

"Anxiety and Chronic Stress Disorder." She could see Holly looking surprised at this reveal, "I was surprised as well, though I figured out the anxiety before he told me. He confirmed it stating that his wasn't as bad as his brothers. His trigger point is higher and more specific."

"It makes sense now why he feels like he should help his brother so much…"

"It does yes, though his brother doesn't seem to be able to fight it." Granity could see she was thinking things over now, "Remember when I told you that whole domination thing was rooted in his issues?"

"Yeah… you said you suspected it was at the time."

"It was, Genki told me he used the domination to push his anxiety back. Akame was fully aware of his issues and was helping him deal with them." Holly looked startled by that revelation,

"Does that mean he needs that?"

"I'm not sure, but I know he was using it at one point. He has other methods. He was doing some Yoga before you arrived, it seemed to help him deal with his stress fairly well. He also got into cooking for that reason, for him it's relaxing."

"He's doing stress management… he mentioned it when he spoke of his brother."

"Exactly, he's been doing it the whole time. None of us realized what he was doing though."

"Are we stressing him?"

"Sort of… he hasn't really said much about it but he is definitely stressed right now. The only thing I got out of him about it was when he found out that Tiger was confronting you." Holly looked surprised by this, then concerned about his knowledge.

"So he knows?" Granity nodded, "is he willing to talk to me?"

"He is yes but not right now. He asked me to get you to wait until after you guys deal with Suezo. He said he could only handle one thing at a time right now. If you try to do this now he stated that will have an anxiety attack. He said he will talk to you as soon as he can manage it without having and attack." She could see the worry in Holly's eyes now,

"We are over stressing him…" Granity sighed,

"Not exactly… part of this is built up stress that he has not been able to release. I plan to help him unwind as much as I can." She could see the confusion in the other woman's eyes, "Remember when I said his anxiety was specific?" she saw Holly nod, "Well certain topics seem to set his anxiety off more than others. In this case the topic that seems to be the hardest for him…"

"Our fight… because of what I did to him…"

"Unfortunately yes… it seems to cause his stress to rise pretty quickly. I made a few suggestions to see if I could help. He said he would try, but wasn't sure they would help."

"Can he even talk about it?"

"We aren't sure… that was one of my suggestions. I asked him if he could talk to me about it, if it would help him deal with things. He told me he wasn't sure if it would help but he would try. We haven't spoken on that topic yet, though I did asking him a couple of questions this morning… It will defiantly be a slow process."

"I take it he reacted badly?"

"No… but he was distressed. He seemed to be willing to try though and he did relax after a bit." Holly sighed,

"After Tiger told me about his suicide attempt and depression…. I decided to read up on it. I realize now I made a huge mistake in how I handled my own fear… and how I told him no that day. I know I can't fix what's already done…" She closed her eyes shaking her head, "I wouldn't be surprised if he wants nothing to do with me now…" Granity could see the remorse and guilt in the woman's posture. * _Let's see if she loves him that way or not_ *

"He doesn't hate you Holly, he never has. I asked him about it this morning, he said at one point he wanted to resent you for what happened but he couldn't. He still loves you, that hasn't changed despite what he has gone through." Holly looked up startled,

"Are you certain he said that?"

"Yes, though I do have a question for you." Holly seemed confused now,

"What is it?"

"Do you still love him?" Holly looked taken aback but nodded,

"I do yes; I never stopped loving him despite my fear. I tried to push it aside and forget it… to change it to something platonic… it never seemed to work though."

"Then it is romantic love?"

"Yes, it always has been… I realize it should have been enough to keep my fear at bay. I really don't know what happened that day, why I was so afraid…" she closed he eyes, "thinking back it seems so surreal now… how I reacted that day. I could see Genki's pain yet it didn't change my fear or words… like I wasn't really me that day…" Granity raised a brow at this, that made no sense to her but perhaps Genki would understand. * _Could Holly have a mental problem as well or am I missing something? _*

"Earlier he told me your words yesterday hurt… when you said you would try to talk with Suezo, that you had to because you loved him. He took it as an implication that you didn't love him…" Holly's eyes shown with both pain and guilt now, * _Did I really say that? Yes, I did… it completely implies that I never loved him. No wonder he had been so distant lately. He's been reading into everything I say._ *

"Granity… is there any way I can prove to him that I do love him?"

"Are you serious about being with him this time?" Holly nodded, looking determined.

"I am yes; I won't make the same mistake again."

"You aren't doing this out of guilt are you?" Holly shook her head,

"No… I wouldn't lie to him like that. He has been hurt enough; I just want to show him what I truly felt all this time."

"Show me Holly." Holly looked stunned a moment at that simple request but then nodded getting her meaning. Holly reached over and took Granity's hand, concentrating she opened her heart to the pixie breed, letting Granity feel her emotions. After a moment Granity smiled, * _She does really love him… I hope this time it's enough to make them both happy._ * "I understand, and yes there is a way for you to prove it. It won't be easy for you but it can be done. Just remember that his heart never healed, you will need to move slowly to get him to trust you again." Holly nodded; she was paying close attention to what Granity told her.

"It's still an open wound for him?"

"Yes, I believe it never healed at all. That's why he's so stressed just by the topic."

"It makes sense…"

"I will do what I can for him on my side, but I can't heal his heart completely. I can't give him what he truly needs."

"You mean closure?"

"Not just that, romantic love. He feels alone, it's one of the reasons I stayed by his side last night."

"What do I need to do?"

"Firstly, you are going to have to initiate it if you want to court him. At this point he won't try to; I'd wait till after you apologize to him and ask for forgiveness. Let him have some time between topics to think. If he seems OK with talking about more than do so carefully." She saw Holly nod, "He told me that the only way he could start to rebuild his trust with you, is you would need to be fully open with him. If you can make yourself completely vulnerable to him and trust that he won't hurt you; then he could start to open up again." Holly looked a bit surprised but then nodded,

"That makes sense I guess…" She closed her eyes,

"Take it slow, there's no rush. I'm more concerned about reopening his wound and causing a relapse. You will need to be very careful with how you approach this Holly."

"I understand, the last thing I want is to hurt him again. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt him anymore." She paused thinking for a moment, "What should I do first though? You know it's hard for me to share some things…" Granity looked thoughtful a moment,

"Have you ever told him why you don't talk about sex much?" Holly's eyes snapped open now; she was defiantly caught off guard. She took a deep breath and shook her head,

"No… I only said it was very private for me."

"Start with that then, it's something he doesn't know about you. It would help him understand you in the long run." Holly blushed like mad now,

"I'll try it… that topic is extremely hard for me…"

"I know but you need to talk about it. I'm sure Genki can help you; perhaps he even knows why it bothers you on such a deep level. He seems to look into that kind of thing." Granity shrugged, "But it would prove to him how serious you are… plus you could always mention your relationships. It's not like he knows if you ever really dated, he is just assuming you did." Holly nodded, * _I guess she is right… I wanted to know more about his dating life… perhaps sharing my own would help. Still the sexual things will be hard to talk about without getting aroused…_ *

"I will try talking with him about those things first I guess… I may need your help later though…"

"Oh I will help you if you need. I know it arouses you to talk about sex, I'll be happy to help you relax after the fact."

"I feel like we are burdening him by asking for a room here just for _**that**_."

"We aren't. I asked him earlier, he said he has no problem with it and it's not a burden as long as he can do what he needs to do." She shrugged, "besides, he wants you to be true to yourself." Holly looked confused,

"What are you talking about?"

"Holly, you are bisexual. We both know it, even if you won't admit to it. He already accepted that about you, and he wants you to be able to express that side of yourself without fear, to be true to yourself and not what everyone else expects."

"He said that?" Granity nodded as she saw tears beginning to fall from Holly's eyes. "I… I never thought anyone would accept that side me…" Granity smiled, she stood up and came to Holly's side to pull her into a hug. Holly sobbed into her shoulder as she let her emotions flow, *_ I think this is the first time I have seen her let her emotions out like this. She is so much like Genki and I. Always holding everything inside. _* She just held her, knowing this was a lot of pent up emotion. It took several minutes for her to calm down. When she did Granity spoke softly,

"You know I accept that side of you too right. You have two people who fully accept it and neither of us have any issues with it Holly."

"I know… I didn't mean to discount you. Though it is easier for a pixie to accept that…" Granity chuckled,

"That's true since we are all female." She carefully wiped Holly's tears away, "But we do still find males to breed." She smirked as Holly blushed slightly,

"That may be true… but... do you think Tiger and the others could accept it? Or my father? They'd ask what is wrong with me… they didn't take well to Akame's girlfriend…" she looked distant for a moment.

"You told them about the same sex relationships here huh?"

"I did."

"How'd that go?"

"It went over like a lead balloon…. But my father did accept that this world was different. He stated that 'our morals may not be theirs'."

"Ouch…" Granity cringed at that implication, "I understand. Though at least you can be free here. I'm sure Akame and her girl would accept you." Holly nodded; she had no doubt that they would.

"I also tested the waters a bit. I am hoping Genki won't be upset with me for trying…"

"You didn't tell them about him did you?" Granity grew concerned,

"No, I'm not that brazen or stupid. He'd never forgive me for that." She shook her head, "I told them about his brother instead." Granity was relieved that she had tried using his brother as an example first. Still there was concern about their reaction to such a topic,

"How did that go?" Holly sighed,

"Sort of OK… at first Hare asked if his brother was insane though…"

"Oh boy…"

"Yeah... I corrected him and tried to explain everything to them."

"What was the end result?"

"Well my father decided that the disorders were only an issue if left untreated."

"Well at least that conclusion is a good one." Holly nodded,

"How they will react to Genki… I'm still not sure. After all they aren't thinking anything is wrong with him right now. They know about our fight… I confessed it to them. I hadn't realized you all blamed him for it that day. I would have told everyone sooner had I known." Granity looked a bit guilty then * _perhaps I should have told her._*

"I should have told you… that was my fault."

"No… I should have noticed, if I hadn't been so selfish I would have seen the reactions you all had to him."

"So they understand now?"

"More or less… Suezo was pushing my buttons though. Was insulting both you and Genki. Saying Genki gets a good show when it came to Akame and her girlfriend… like he watches them be intimate. He also implied that you were being a whore…" Granity raised a brow at that, * _Well isn't he being a little brat…_ *

"Don't let it get to you. He is just upset. I doubt Genki would care what he implied. He can think what he wants about me. It won't make it the truth. Though technically I am planning to sleep with Genki so… he's not far off." She chuckled making Holly look confused.

"Still you are not a whore. Even if you choose to sleep with Genki."

"No I'm not but I don't care what he thinks." Granity leaned forward and kissed Holly's forehead, "Don't worry so much about him. Things will be settled with him soon."

"We can only hope… he makes me so mad at times."

"I know… why don't we head down stairs. I'd like to help you unwind too." Holly was blushing like mad at that implication,

"Really you don't have to…"

"I want to Holly. You know I love you, I want to help you." Holly seemed reluctant for a moment then nodded,

"I really can't hide my own stress huh?"

"You can't; especially since you rarely masturbate."

"Oh like I can with two monsters with excellent hearing and a perverted eyeball around." Holly muttered under her breath. Granity laughed at this comment, it was valid but still funny to hear coming from Holly.

"That is very true." She gave Holly's hand a small tug and Holly followed her.

* * *

Once they reached the room Genki designated at theirs Granity closed the door. She gave Holly a seductive smile, which cause her partner to turn red once again. Granity pulled Holly into her arms holding her close. Her hand gently caressing Holly's back as she spoke to her.

"I have something new I'd like to try. Genki taught me how to do it the other night." Holly shivered as her lovers hand caressed her side,

"What did he teach you? I thought you hadn't had sex yet."

"We haven't but he taught me a bit about the whole sensation play he used to do. It's quite enjoyable." Holly was a bit confused now; she was trying to remember what that even was.

"What is sensation play?"

"In its simplest form? Just pleasure though different sensations on one's body. Genki only used his fingers and it was very enjoyable."

"You let him touch you there?" Holly sounded surprised making Granity chuckled,

"No just my arm, shoulders, and neck. He didn't try to touch anywhere else."

"And it felt that good to you?" she sounded skeptical,

"It certainly did. Which makes me think that it'll be even better elsewhere." Holly shivered in response, "obviously you are thinking the same thing."

"How is it any different from how you always touch me?" Granity chuckled,

"Oh you'll have to wait and see on that. I can't exactly do it justice with words." She began to kiss Holly, knowing that once the young woman relaxed she would welcome such touches. Holly let herself go easily this time, she felt more secure knowing she was completely alone with her lover. There would be no one to disturb them this time, no one to see them. Though she had been exhausted it was mostly a mental and emotional exhaustion she had felt from her long day of hard conversations. Her desires had woken her up fully now that they were alone in the room together. Granity moved her to the bed and managed to get her out of her shirt and pants without breaking their kiss for very long. Once on the bed Granity began to caress her body, her finger tips just barely touching Holly's skin. Following Genki's advice she could see that her partner loved it immediately. Holly gasped as her body shivered under the pixie breeds careful caresses. Granity worked her way over Holly's body, starting with just her arms and sides to including her belly, breast, and thighs. Holly soon was bare, her body still shivering under each caress. *_ Oh my phoenix! How is she doing this… it feels so good… I can barely think. _* Granity smirked as she heard her partner moan under her touch. She continued her ministrations, moving to kiss the girl once more hoping to make her moans increase. By the time Granity slipped her fingers into her lover, Holly was soaking wet and craving. This time Holly moaned for her lover, letting her know just how good she felt. Granity smiled as she watched her lover enjoy the pleasure she was giving her. * _I really must thank him, without his advice I wouldn't have gotten her to do this. Hopefully I can help her release this pent up frustration she has forced upon herself. _* The Pixie breed resolved to incorporate more sensation play into their love life seeing how her partner had reacted to it.

* * *

Genki had arrived at the hospital long before the girls had finished their conversation. His mind was focused on only one thing, finding out what happened to his brother. He had forced himself to do a few breathing exercises before he entered the hospital. He knew this would be pushing him to the edge mentally and emotionally but he would worry about that later. Walking through the maze like hospital he finally arrived at his brother's room. He could see he was currently reading a book, his heart monitor showed he was fairly relaxed right now. Genki could see that he was covered in bruises, something traumatic must have happened but he was unsure of what. He honestly looked like he had been in a fight. *_ He's no that type though. He's never been that aggressive or physically strong. _* His brother glanced his way noticing a presence nearby, he smiled upon seeing him.

"Genki! It's been so long."

"Yeah it has. Sorry about that… work has been rough lately. I really wish I hadn't had some much overtime the past few months. I miss our time together." Genki came to side by his brother's side getting ready for the discussion ahead mentally.  
"It's alright, I know your work schedule can get rough at times." Genki smiled at his brother's good mood. He knew this was the medication helping him right now.  
"Did you get the book I sent you?"  
"Yes, I haven't read through all of it yet but it seems interesting. Has it worked for you?" Genki nodded,  
"Yes, it has helped me a great deal. I think it would help you too if you give it a try."

"I never really understood the whole chakra stuff…" Genki chuckled,

"Kai it's not as complicated as it first seems. It's actually pretty easy to understand and use once you give it a chance. I know it seems silly but it has helped." Kai gave him a skeptical look,

"Do you believe all their nonsense though?"

"No, but I do believe in the flow of energy within our bodies. That is enough to make it work. It can be as spiritual an experience as you want it to be." he smiled to his brother, "you know me, I tend to do the buffet thing with this type of stuff." Kai laughed at this,

"So you take a little of everything and make it work?"

"Pretty much. It's worked for me thus far." Genki smiled to his brother,

"You really are something else. Always doing it your own way." Kai shook his head,

"I suppose so, though it's the only way I seem to get anything done." Genki laughed as his brother smiled. Kai sighed then closed his book setting it aside. He knew why his brother was here, and he wasn't thrilled about the discussion ahead. "Kai?"

"I know you came because of my attempt… you always try to help when I have my attacks." Genki's expression turned tender now, he nodded.

"You know I'm here Kai. I have been where you are, I know what it's like." Kai nodded, he knew his brother had attempted suicide in the past. He even knew what the trigger was. But that didn't make it any easier to talk to his brother about his own experience. Genki reached over and took his brothers hand, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze. "It's OK, you are not alone Kai." Kai shook his head,

"I'm not sure even you can understand this Genki."

"Try me. I have had a lot more experiences then you believe I have." Genki kept his voice soft and inviting, he knew Kai might not be able to explain. Feelings were not his forte after all. He heard Kai sigh, he wouldn't look at Genki but he did start talking,

"Genki… it's kind of complicated… it's not easy for me to explain."

"Most things in life are complicated. Just explain what you can." Genki was gently urging him to talk about whatever it was. Kai still seemed reluctant but he finally glanced toward his brother. Genki could see fear in his eyes, Genki returned his fearful gaze with one of understanding. It seemed to work,

"Well… it started after I realized that I should accept myself. I know mom will be upset but I can't lie about it…"

"What are you accepting Kai?"

"I'm gay…" Genki smiled and chuckled,

"I'm aware you are." Kai looked up startled, he looked both confused and relieved.

"How?"

"I noticed it as we were growing up. I have seen the kind of porn you look at Kai. I already knew by that and subtle signs you were giving that you were gay. I understand that you feel pressured to have children. Please try to remember that mom has never wanted to burden us. It was more of a playful comment than a serious one. Besides, she still has me for that." He chuckled at his brother's flabbergasted look. Their mother was always talking about grandchildren, so he could understand the pressure Kai felt. Once Kai had recovered he smiled,

"So you have no problems with it then?" Genki shook his head,

"No, not at all. You are who you are, it's important that you can express that freely." Kai gave Genki's hand a squeeze, Genki returned it with a smile. He then sighed,

"After I accepted that I was gay I decided to try dating… it's not easy to know if others feel that way though. I have a guy I really like and I wanted to ask him out…" Kai stopped a moment trying to figure out his words. "I asked my roommate if he knew anything about him. He did but asked why I wanted to know. I told him I had heard his birthday was coming up and I wanted to do something for him. My roommate was still confused but gave me the information anyway." Genki smiled, * _He was being cautious huh? _* He gave Kai's hand another squeeze hoping to reassure him. Kai sighed heavily, "Somehow, one of the football jocks found out that I wanted to ask the guy out. Apparently he hates people like me…"

"You mean those who are gay?"

"Yeah…" Genki had a bad feeling about where this was going but left it alone. Instead he just helped his brother to release it.

"So what did he do?" Kai shifted his eyes to his hands, he refused to look at Genki now.

"He got some of his buddies together, they knocked me out and took me to an abandoned building. I was beat up pretty bad, when they got done beating me they…" He could see this was stressing him, Genki moved to place his arms around his brother, Kai accepted his embrace leaning into him.

"Kai breath… its OK… you're safe." It took Kai several minutes to calm down, his anxiety was still an issue even if he was on medication for depression. Genki noticed the nurse pop in briefly, no doubt checking why the young man was distressed. She didn't interfere though, merely checked that he was alright before leaving again. When Kai finally calmed enough to speak, he finished what he was going to say.

"Genki… they raped me…" Genki held him close, Kai was holding back tears and he knew now why he had tried to kill himself.

"Kai let it go. Don't hold back the tears. You need to release it." Genki was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace, he felt Kai sobbing into his chest. He gently soothed his brother knowing this was something he needed. * _We are seriously too much alike sometimes…. I wish my intuition had been wrong… Kai… you defiantly went through a worse thing than I did. I understand now why you couldn't bare it._ * When his brother calmed Genki spoke a question softly to him,

"Kai do you feel any internal pain physically from what they did?" Kai nodded,

"Yes… it hurts so bad… I'm not sure what they used…"

"Did you tell the doctors?" He shook his head, "Why?"

"I… was too ashamed…"

"There is nothing for you to be ashamed of. Kai… if you have internal bleeding you could die… very painfully. Those types of wounds take days or even weeks to kill and are agonizing." Kai flinched upon hearing that. "I'm going to tell the doctor OK?" Kai nodded, he let go of his brother. Genki wiped his tears away, his eyes showing understanding and concern. Most of all Kai could see the love his brother had for him. "I understand Kai. It's very hard to bare this… especially so soon after you accepted this side of yourself. You can get through this, maybe not alone but with help you can."

"Thank you Genki… can I ask you something?" He smiled,

"Of course."

"How can you understand this so easily? Have you been sexually assaulted too?" He chuckled at his brothers confusion, leaning forward he whispered into his brothers ear. Kai's eyes widened, he looked even more confused now.

"Keep that to yourself. Now you know my secret to how I understand what others go through."

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

"I never felt I could… it's not normal by any means. Plus with all the other issues I have I figured I might get sectioned if I did." he gave a bitter chuckle,

"Mom would never let that happen…"

"Perhaps but it might not be up to her. There are many things you don't know yet Kai. I am hoping you never have to know them. The burdens I carry are heavy and many, but I carry them none the less. I try to turn them into something positive when I can. It helps me keep moving forward." Kai gave him a sad smile, "I'll be right back; I need to talk to your doctor a moment. While I do that, why don't you do some breathing exercises?"

"You want me to meditate?"

"You can if you like but the exercises should be enough to relax you."

* * *

Kai nodded and started his exercises as Genki walked over to the nurse's station. "Excuse me miss, is his doctor available for a moment. I found out something that I need to discuss with him." The nurse looked a bit unsure but then nodded,

"Yes he's nearby let me get him for you Mr…

"Sakura, Genki. Kai is my brother." The nurse nodded and left to get the doctor. It only took a few minutes before she returned with him.

"I'm told you have something to discuss with me?" Genki nodded,

"Yes, is there somewhere we can talk privately? My brother confided something in me that is medically relevant to his condition." The doctor led Genki to a small room and closed the door.

"What has he told you?"

"I know why he attempted suicide but more pressing, I need you to check him for internal bleeding. He was raped and told me he is still in pain from it." The doctor's eyes widened,

"He was anally raped?"

"Yes, probably sodomized with objects from the sound of it. My concern is that they may have ruptured his rectum in the process." the doctor nodded,

"We will run a test and a rape kit on him as well. I am required to report this to the authorities…"

"I know, he knows at least one of his attackers."

"I'll make note of that. So the trauma cause his depression to flare up. It makes sense now why it was a sudden flare up."

"It does yes, and why he couldn't bare such trauma. I would also like to suggest testing for one other thing."

"Oh? What is your suggestion?"

"Please test him for chronic stress disorder. I believe he may have it like I do. I have it alongside anxiety and depression; I'm thinking he might as well."

"You have anxiety and depression as well?" Genki nodded, "You have medication correct?"

"Yes, but my depression was a sudden flare up after a traumatic event as well. I too tried to take my own life, and I struggled with the anxiety until we realized I had chronic stress as well. Kai is struggling with his anxiety and I suspect he might be fighting many things at once. Not just one, which would require… a new medication to deal with it." The doctor nodded,

"Thank you young man, we will defiantly test for that. You are right to be worried especially since he is similar to you it seems. Thank you for bringing all of this to my attention." Genki smiled,

"I just want to help him as much as I can."

"He defiantly has a great brother looking out for him." They left the small room, Genki returned to his brother's side. He smiled seeing his brother meditating or trying to at least. He chuckled seeing how annoyed he was at the sounds around him, every little sound seems to perturb him. He could see a vein beginning to pop out as continued to try. * _He really is easily distracted sometimes._ * Genki sat down on the bed side again catching his attention. He looked over at his brother,

"They are going to report it aren't they?" Genki gave him a sad smile then nodded,

"They are required to by law. Don't fear this Kai. Those men deserve to be put in jail for hurting you."

"I know… it's just hard to talk about." He smiled gently to his brother, his hand moving to Kai's again.

"It's alright, you can do this. I know you are strong enough for this."

"I don't feel strong… I can't even meditate…"

"You are… we don't always feel strong. But that doesn't mean we aren't. Sometimes we just need help. Would you like to meditate?"

"Yeah… though in a bit… I want to ask a favor…"

"What is it?"

"Can you… talk to the guy I wanted to ask out?" Genki raised a brow at that request,

"I can yes, though I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"I just… He seemed to want that too… I just want to know if there is any hope for a relationship with him… or if he was… leading me on." Genki chuckled,

"I will talk to him, but only this time. You need to do this step yourself next time." Kai nodded,

"I understand."

"So who is this guy and how do I get a hold of him?"

"His name is Nubou, Diaske, I have his cell number… we have hung out a few times to play magic." Genki chuckled again, * _Well at least they share a common interest. _* Kai gave him his number,

"I will call him." he reassured, "I want you to make sure you recover alright? I'm not setting up dates with the dead." Kai burst out laughing at his brother's morbid joke,

"I will I promise."

"Anything else?"

"No… but I really want to meditate… how do I with all this noise?" Genki smiled at his brothers annoyed expression.

"How about I guide you for a bit. First you need to relax and accept the noise. It's just there, and that's OK. No need to be worried or upset about it."

"So ignore it?"

"It's not ignoring at as much as not really caring that it's there. Have you ever heard of equanimity?"

"No, what's that?"

"Equanimity is basically the psychological stability and composure that is undisturbed by anything we may experience. Whether that is sounds around us, emotions or sensations within us, or other things we experience in our lives. It accepts that these things are happening but is not perturbed by them, instead it just lets them be as they are. It's a hard thing to achieve, especially during high stress moments but it is the single greatest thing we can strive for. It will help you deal with all of your issues, just like it has for me."

"So… I'm accepting the noise but not caring that it's there?"

"Yes, just have an easy going attitude about what's around you. Would you like me to start a guided meditation for you?"

"Sure, I know you have to go… you have things you have to take care of huh? I can see you are stressed too."

"I am stressed yes, both work wise and with personal things right now. But what I have to take care of right now is myself. I need to set aside time to meditate as well." His brother nodded, "I will visit at the end of the week again, but I promise to call your friend in the meantime."

"Thanks big brother… it means a lot." Genki smiled to his little brother then began his guiding.

"Get into a comfortable position Kai." He nodded and did so, closing his eyes as Genki spoke softly.

"Take a deep breath and let your body relax as you release it. With each breath let a little more stress leave your body. Focus on your home base, if you didn't choose one just use the breath as your home base. The sounds around you are fine, they are there but not important. Keep your focus, letting yourself relax." Kai did as his brother instructed, Genki could see he was breathing deeply and slowly. His heart rate had fallen to around 60 bpm now, indicating he was relaxing just fine. After his brother had focused for a while, he gave his next instruction. "Now let your mind wonder a bit, acknowledged what you are thinking but don't linger on it. Just relax and let it wonder. If it goes too far return to your home base for a while. Everything is as it should be, let the world go by. Let your thoughts go by as they will." Kai did so, his body seemed fully relaxed now as he moved deeper into his meditation. Genki smiled seeing his brother so relaxed. "Just remember your home base and to remain carefree Kai. These two things will guide you on your journey. I will see you again soon little brother." He could see a soft smile on Kai's face before he stepped out of the door.

* * *

Kai's doctor gave him an intrigued look,

"I won't disturb him since this is the first time I have seen him this calm… you really should be an instructor. You seem to have the knack for it." Genki chuckled,

"I may have a gift yes but I already have a full time job that keeps me busy. Give him at least fifteen minutes and he should be good for a while. Hopefully he will be able to return to that mediation on his own later without my help." His doctor nodded,

"I will make sure he goes undisturbed for a little bit. I think this is what he needed." He paused a moment. "Would you mind if I had your number? Just in case he gets too riled up. I don't want to use drugs if I don't have to. He had an allergic reaction to the last one we gave him." Genki nodded, he jotted down his number for the doctor.

"Call me if anything comes up. I'd like to know if he had internal injuries and when the police talk with him." The doctor nodded his understanding,

"I will be sure to let both you and your parents know. Thank you for your help."

"It was my pleasure." Genki smiled then took his leave. After he got into the car he did a few breathing exercises himself. Trying to push back his own stress, he had barely held it together in the hospital. He wanted to break several times while comforting his brother. But he wasn't going to do so inform of Kai… he need to be his brothers strength right then. After a moment he decide to ring up Kai's friend. * _Perhaps we can meet up and discuss things. Kai could really use someone right now and I could use a distraction._ * It took a few rings before someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Sakura, Genki. Is this Nubou, Daiske?"

"Yes, what is this about?"

"I'm calling on behalf of my brother Kai."

"Is he alright? I heard he got beat up bad…"

"Yes, he's alright and recovering. Do you have time to meet me for a quick discussion? He wanted me to speak with you about a couple of things." He could tell the other man was leery of what was going on, he didn't blame him. This was very unorthodox to say the least. *_ Leave it to Kai to make it far more complicated then it needed to be…_ *

"Yeah… I could meet you in say… 30 minutes if you have time."

"That's fine. Where would you like to meet?" he decided to let the man choose in hopes of making him feel better about the situation.

"How about the cafe by Shibuya station?"

"The small cat themed one?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Alright, I will meet you there. See you soon." Genki heard the man hang up, he then put the phone away as he got ready to get going. * _This will be probably the weirdest things I have __**ever**__ done for my brother… seriously Kai. Setting up dates for you… and checking out guys for you is not what I signed up for as a big brother. _* He sweat dropped, he wasn't sure he would even be a good judge of compatibility for his brother let alone how to discuss such a topic with the man. Genki could feel his anxiety beginning to become an issue again. He did a few more breathing exercises before starting his vehicle and heading for the station cafe.

* * *

Once at the station cafe Genki took a few moments to relax before he went inside. He was about 5 minutes early, so he decided to grab a drink and head to a visible table that offered some semblance of privacy. He knew he looked a lot like Kai so the man he was meeting would likely be able to tell who he was. While he waited he enjoyed the atmosphere of the cafe. A bunch of cute kitties ran around the cafe begging for attention or just snuggling with some visitors. He had visited these cafes before and always found them relaxing if not unique. * _Swear I seriously take on way too much. It's such a bad habit of mine lately. _* He took a sip of his chai tea, letting its aroma relax him. * _Still Kai needs help… and there is only so much I can do for him. I can only hope this guy is at least bi or this won't work at all. In fact, I might scare him off if he's not bi._ * Soon he saw a man looking around after ordering a coffee, he smiled as the man approached. Raising to greet him properly,

"Daiske?" The man nodded, Genki gave a short bow then indicated for the man to sit. Daiske returned the bow and took his seat.

"So your Kai's older brother?"

"Yes."

"How is he really?"

"Shaken up pretty bad. He's being taken care of well and have a few more tests done to make sure everything is alright." Daiske seemed to debate for a moment before he commented.

"I heard his roommate found him almost dead…" Genki sighed,

"That is true but it wasn't from the beating…"

"What are you talking about? Did he have an attack again?" Daiske's voice told Genki he was extremely worried. * _That's a good sign._ *

"He had an attack but not an anxiety attack. I assume he told you about his disorder?"

"Yeah… we have spoken a few times about his problems. We often talk over a game of magic, it seems to help him." Genki nodded,

"Figures, he has always been better at chatting when his mind is focused elsewhere." He chuckled, he saw Daiske smile slightly.

"Daiske… he doesn't just have anxiety. He has depression. It was an unknown issue until now." He could see that the other man understood immediately,

"Did he… hurt himself after that beating?" Genki nodded,

"Yes, but it wasn't just a beating he endured." Genki sighed, there was no easy way of going about this. Daiske's face changed now, he seemed to realize something.

"He was raped…" it wasn't a question, it's like Daiske knew somehow.

"Yes, though I have to ask how you knew." He sighed heavily before looking up sadly, Genki could see the sorrow in his eyes.

"I heard a few of the jocks bragging about raping some fag. They said they hoped they did enough damage to kill him…." Genki's eyes widened, * _So they wanted to kill him? Those fuckers! _* Genki took a deep breath pushing his rage back. Daiske could see the anger and understood it. If anyone touched his younger sister he would have the same reaction.

"Would you be willing to give a statement about that? The police will be investigating it." Daiske nodded,

"Gladly… I hate bigots like that. There was no reason to hurt him." Genki nodded,

"Thank you, I will be in touch with the contact information as soon as I have it." Genki decided to broach the other subject now, his mind was beginning to fail him so a tactful way wasn't going to work well at the moment. "Can I ask you something Diaske?"

"Sure?"

"Did you know Kai was gay?"

"Yeah… he never said it but I could tell he was." Genki smiled, he felt better about this now.

"I won't presume to know what your orientation is. I am wondering if you knew of his feeling for you though." Daiske seemed to be quiet for a moment before he answered,

"I knew he cared for me… he probably wants to ask me out. I wasn't sure if he had accepted himself though. I will tell you now that I'm bisexual, and I know it's hard to deal with that aspect of yourself. Especially with all the bigots around school…" Genki nodded his understanding,

"It is difficult yes. Kai only recently accepted that side of himself. He told me that he wanted to ask you out but… well he never got the chance before those men hurt him." Daiske seemed unsure now, he then smiled softly.

"I thought that might have been the case… his roommate mentioned he had asked about me…" he seemed to take a moment before coming to a decision. "Would you be alright with me visiting him?"

"As soon as he is out of the ICU I would love for you to visit him. He could use the company right now. He should be out of there this week with any luck. I will send you the room number as soon as I have it. But you could call him, he has his cell with him." He smiled kindly to the other man,

"I will do that… thank you. You didn't have to help out like this."

"Yes I did, he's my brother. I don't mind helping him when I can." Daiske chuckled,

"I'd do the same for my sister… I get it. I will call him tonight." Genki smiled and nodded to the man,

"Thank you Daiske. It means a lot that you are willing to help him like this." The two men shook hands and parted ways. * _This is all I can do for you Kai… it's up to you now._ *Genki knew he would definitely need help when he got home, but for now he used the feeling of doing some good for another to get him through the drive.

* * *

Granity sat on the bed reading, Holly asleep next to her. She had managed to give the woman multiple orgasms, helping her to unwind a bit more than usual. As she read though the book, she became increasingly more worried about Genki. * _He is defiantly close to an attack if this book is right. I'm not sure how he is keeping it at bay at this point. I wonder if I can get him release any of it? I wish he trusted Holly… her abilities could definitely help him right now. Assuming she could handle what he is feeling… _* she glanced to the sleeping woman beside her, she knew Holly was strong but could she handle anymore right now. * _She has been through a lot herself… _* Granity resumed her reading, finding that though the book seemed complicated at first she was able to understand it the more she read. Soon she felt Holly beginning to stir next her, she found a good place to stop and placed her marker. Turning her attention to Holly as she stretched and looked around groggily.

"You have a good nap love?" Holly gave her a gentle and content smile,

"Yes… I feel so much better." Granity leaned down to kiss her tenderly. The two kissed for a few moments before parting again.

"I'm very happy to hear that. You had me worried."

"I just needed some rest is all."

"No you needed rest and some release." Holly smiled again then nodded.

"You are right… I haven't felt so… relaxed before."

"I think you need more sexual release than you realize." Holly sighed then nodded,

"I do… I guess I should accept that… I want sex… more than most women." Granity lay down with her now, pulling her close.

"Why have you resisted accepting that? There's nothing wrong with wanting it you know." Her voice was very soft and gentle.

"I guess I just didn't want to be different…"

"Holly… don't evade please." Holly closed her eyes, finally after a few moments she sighed heavily.

"I was told only whores had high sex drives… that women don't want sex much…"

"You mean when you were young?" Holly nodded, "Who told you that?"

"A woman in our village who was like a mother to me…after mine passed." Granity caressed her cheek gently getting Holly to focus on her.

"Well she was wrong. Having a high sex drive doesn't make you a whore. And I highly doubt any husband would complain about such a thing." Holly sighed again,

"Perhaps you are right…" she looked away again, "it's just… I've wanted to belong for so long… yet I'm so different. No matter what I never do what the other women do…"

"Nonsense, you are just as much a woman as they are. You're not meant to be the same as the others. If you had been would you have fought Moo? Or freed your father? I highly doubt you would have." she leaned her forehead against Holly's, "I for one fell in love with you because of your courage. I believe Genki did as well. We love you the way you are Holly." She could see her words meant a lot to her partner. Holly let a few tears fall before she moved to kiss Granity once more. The kiss was soft and affectionate, filled with the love they both had for each other. When they parted Granity could see that Holly felt better now.

"I understand…. I need to accept myself. Do you think Genki can accept me?"

"I know he can. This won't bother him at all." She nodded,

"Thank you…" She snuggled with Granity again, letting her herself feel secure for the moment. After a little while Granity decided to ask her something.

"Holly… I'm not sure how much you can handle right now. I don't want to overwhelm you."

"You mean emotionally?"

"That and mentally. Genki is close to an attack. I have been reading up on his anxiety, the signs are there. I'm not sure how he's keeping it at bay but I'm afraid he won't manage it for much longer." Holly looked concerned now,

"I am defiantly feeling a bit stressed emotionally but if he needs help I can do that for him." she looked into the pixie breeds eyes, following that logic. "You want me to try to pull some of the stress away from him?"

"Or give him a release somehow. He needs to let some of this go before he has any issues."

"Doesn't he have medication?"

"He does but he hates using it… it makes him feel… well not himself in his words. He hates how he feels when he uses it. He will use it if he has no other choice, but not before then." * _wait so he is not treating it?_ *

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"It could be… but only if he's overwhelmed. He seems to be able to deal with it a little at a time but not all at once. I think he was using other methods as a treatment at this point… but I haven't had a chance to ask him about it. I know where he keeps his medication if we have to give it to him." Holly closed her eyes, trying to think of what she might be able to do. * _Is there anything I can do? If he's like Granity then he held in everything… a big release could help with his overflowing emotions. If he will let me… _*

"Perhaps I can give him an outlet like I did for you that night. Let all those emotions flow out through me."

"Can you handle it though?"

"I can… as long as he is willing to let them go. If he won't release them then…"

"I understand. It might get intense for you…"

"I'm sure he is in a lot of pain right now…"

"Pain… among other things. I found out he… well he's definitely depressed as well right now. His mood the other day was a result of his medication."

"You mean his odd behavior was…"

"Yeah, that's why he hates taking either medication."

"I guess I can understand… so he's depressed as well…" Granity was silent a moment just thinking things over. * _Perhaps that will help him…_ *

"Part of it is that he believes he lost you years ago… perhaps just letting him know that he didn't lose you would help."

"What are you talking about?"

"He accepted your answer all those years ago… came to terms with it despite how much it hurt. He literally gave up on the idea of you two being together at all. It took me getting creative to even get him to tell me how you could win him back. He said he hadn't thought about it at all, he didn't have answer until I asked him to think it over." Holly seemed to mull this over for a bit. Granity knew this would not be easy for her at all but perhaps it could begin the healing process between them. * _I can't believe I ripped his hope away… it was the promise I forced on him… it ripped everything away from him… Phoenix how will he ever be able to forgive me? _* She felt incredibly guilty now, * _I need to help him, to give him hope again._ *

"I will do what I can to give him hope again… it all depends on if he believes me or not."

"Let him feel it. He will believe you." Holly nodded, she would let him feel what was in her heart. Granity heard the door close hard upstairs, she was unsure of why he would be slamming it though. She heard a large thud as well which made her get up. "Get dressed, I'm going upstairs she see what that was." Holly nodded as Granity left the room.

* * *

Upon entering the kitchen she found Genki leaned against the wall of the hallway, breathing hard, he was holding his head with one hand as he tried to catch his breath. Granity came to his side and gently took hold of his shoulders. He looked over at her, his eyes unfocused.

"It's OK Genki… let me help you." He nodded, shifting to try to walk he nearly fell. She caught him, "I'm going to help you sit down on the couch OK?"

"No…" his voice was soft, he was struggling to speak. "I'm going to need to lie down…" She debated a moment what to do, when Holly came upstairs she froze seeing how labored his breathing was.

"Alright, I'm going to have Holly help me get you upstairs. Let us support you." He took a moment to register her words but nodded nonetheless. Holly came over and took hold of him on the other side. He let them both guide him up the stairs. His eyes remained unfocused as his vision wavered between blurry and darkness. * _This is bad… really bad he needs his medication…_ * Granity thought as they made their way upstairs. They finally got him to the bed, helping him sit down after pulling the covers back. Holly removed his shoes as Granity held him up. They then switched places, Holly holding him in a seated position. "Genki, I'm going to get your medicine then you can lie down OK?" He seemed out of it but nodded in response. Genki focused on remaining conscious as his vision dimmed once more, he was trying to control his breath as much as he could. Despite this it was still very labored. *_ Damn… this is worse than before… I have to take it… I can't let this over take me…_* He felt her return to his side, she placed a pill in his mouth and a cup in his hand. He managed to swallow it despite the fact that he was so disoriented. After he finished his water she took the glass and they helped him lie down. Granity gave Holly a look that told her to try and help him. Holly nodded, she knew she would have to embrace him for this to work. Taking her own shoes off once more, she lay down next to him. Gently she pulled him into an embrace. He rest his head on her shoulder without complaint.

"Genki… I know you don't trust me right now. That's fine… please let me help you. Let me be an outlet for you to release some of this."

"Holly… this is too much… even for you…"

"Let me try… please…" He seemed concerned for her safety but then realized something * _she will pass out and so will I if this fails… why am I fighting this… am I that afraid of her?_ * It was hard for him to think clearly but finally he nodded.

"Alright… but drop your connection if it's too much for you." he was struggling to speak, his mind barely working at this point.

"I promise I will. I need you to relax and release these emotions OK? Don't hold onto them, just let them go. Doesn't matter what you are feeling… let it go." Holly pressed herself to him, opening her heart and letting her power flow into him. She flinched upon feeling how intense his emotions truly were, she wanted to recoil but forced herself to remain open. He was in so much pain, but there was also anger and sadness there. It was definitely overloading him. He leaned into her as she gently tugged on his emotions. "Release them Genki… don't hold it back." she whispered into his ear. After a moment's hesitation he did, he couldn't keep them back. Tears flowed from his eyes and he let them go. His body shaking slightly while Holly held him close. She too was crying now, letting his emotions flow out through her. Granity lay down behind Genki, she gently held them both hoping to provide some comfort and security as they dealt with this. She felt Genki's body shudder then shake more as he began to cry harder. He was releasing it, just as she had hoped he would. Holly for her part just held him close as she sobbed. Her eyes were closed as she let everything flow through her. * _She's gotten better at channeling emotions… maybe helping me taught her to use her power? All I can hope is that she can help him release enough of this tonight that it is no longer overwhelming for him._ * For the next few hours Holly helped him, Granity had stayed to provide security and comfort for them both for a while.

* * *

Later Granity went downstairs to make a call to the others and make something to eat. Both Holly and Genki had passed out after such an exhausting release of emotions. * _What do I tell the others? That Holly is still passed out? I hate lying but… I can't tell them the truth..._* She mulled things over as she turned the device on. * _Maybe I can say something about Genki needing some company…. They know about his brother… perhaps I can tell them without going into details._ * She sighed and decided to just get the call over with.

"Hey Tiger you there?"

"I am… is Holly still passed out?"

"No she's awake… but … tied up at the moment."

"Tied up?" He seemed confused,

"She told you about his brother right?"

"Yeah said he was going to see him today…"

"Well… we don't know exactly what happened yet… but apparently his brother was in bad shape. He's… taken it rather hard. Holly is trying to get him to talk about it… He really needs to discuss this. I don't think I have seen him this overwhelmed before." Tiger was silent a moment before responding,

"Alright, just let us know when Holly wants to jump back."

"I will."

"Granity, tell my daughter to stay with him if he needs her. I'm sure it's hard on him to deal with his brother's condition. You may be right about him needing to talk it out."

"I'll let her know what you said."

"Also tell her to stop fearing his reaction. She needs to just be honest with him. He will understand her heart I think but only if she can be honest." Granity was taken aback by that statement, she smiled a little at that fatherly advice.

"I'll tell her… after Genki calms down a bit."

"Genki cry chi?" she paused a moment,

"Yes Mocchi… he loves his brother dearly. It's painful for him to see him in the state he was in. I think he tried to help him today, I don't know how that went. I'll let you all know later how his brother is doing once we get him talking."

"Just keep us posted. Help him as much as you can." Tiger seemed to understand what she had told him. * _He probably heard enough from Holly to understand what's really going on._ *

"I will. Have a good night guys." She had been surprised that they were awake at that hour. Normally they would have been asleep. * _Were they that worried about her? _* Granity headed to the kitchen to make some food. "Hopefully they will both want to eat when they wake up."

* * *

It took over an hour for Holly to awaken, she was feeling very drained after channeling all his emotions. It had nearly overwhelmed her when she first connected with him. * _How was he even able to handle that at all? _* She didn't know but would be looking more into his condition now that she had seen its effect. She lay still just letting him rest in her arms as she thought over what she had felt. * _He is so much pain… I can't believe he managed to hide it from me before… yet… despite his pain he still helps everyone else. I wonder what that powerful anger was from though. I haven't ever seen him that angry before…_ * she mulled this over a moment, * _Perhaps I need to know more about what happened to his brother to know that answer. His sadness was definitely tied to his brother, I could feel it as we worked through things. The anger maybe as well. Though his pain… was definitely from what I did for the most part._ * She sighed, her hand gently caressed his side as he rested, *_ I need to bare my heart to him. He needs to have hope again… but first I need to apologize._* After a little while longer she felt him shift in her arms. He seemed groggy, his eyes unfocused as he looked around. After a bit his vision cleared and he could see her worried gaze.

"Holly… I passed out didn't I?" he spoke softly his voice rough from all the sobbing he had done. She smiled gently and nodded,

"We both passed out actually. It's alright, I think you needed some rest after all that." he nodded, he didn't seem to want to move so she decided to let him stay where he was. "Do you feel better?"

"A bit yes… I still feel… a heaviness but its bearable now. Thank you… I really wasn't sure if you could handle something that intense…" She let her forehead rest against his gently,

"I wasn't sure either but I had to try because I love you." She deliberately used the same words she had used before. She wanted him to realize he was loved by her, that she had never meant to imply that he wasn't. His eyes widened a moment as his gaze searched her. He sighed then closed his eyes,

"Thank you… that means a lot." he spoke softly but knew she had heard him. Her hand gently moved along his side, hoping to bring comfort. Genki seemed to understand and relaxed under her touch, he was too tired to worry about what she might try to talk to him about right now. The sensation he got from her touch wasn't as pleasant as she believed it might be but he understood why she was doing it. * _Stupid sensitivity…_ * a few minutes later he heard Granity enter the room, he felt Holly shift to look up at her.

"You both awake?"

"Yeah." Genki responded but made no effort to move.

"I made some dinner if you want it."

"Later… I'm not feeling up to eating. Though Holly can go eat if she wants." Holly smiled but decided not to move. Granity understood and lay down to hold Genki from behind.

"I will eat a bit later." He felt them both giving him comfort and chuckled softly.

"I know you are both worried… but I will be OK in a little while." Granity knew he would be alright with time but she also knew he needed to talk.

"I'm sure you will be, but for now. Would it help of you to talk about what happened with your brother?" He was silent a moment before he sighing,

"It probably would yes." He seemed to be thinking things over on how he wanted to discuss this. The girls let him, they knew he was always trying to be careful and concise when he spoke. "He's a bit worse off than I had thought. Apparently my mother wasn't aware that he had been assaulted before his suicide attempt." Granity and Holly exchanged a glanced,

"Assaulted?"

"Yeah." He seemed to be weighing his words, "some of the school's athletes took issue with his preference in relationships. They apparently knocked him out, took him to a secluded location and beat the shit out of him… before deciding to… rape him." He sighed, before continuing, "The doctors are still looking into any internal damage he may have received from it. But that trauma was his trigger, he decided to take his own life to escape it." He rested his head on Holly's shoulder, she understood he was upset and just held him as Granity rubbed his back soothingly. He shifted slightly under her touch, "Granity…"

"Yes?"

"My body is really sensitive right now, lighten your touch please." She frowned, but did so hoping to help him. She had forgotten what he had told her the night before until now. Holly looked to Granity totally confused by what had just been said. *_ His body is sensitive? But how?_ *

"Better?"

"Yes…"

"Genki… I assume by what the doctors were looking into that they… raped him anally?" He nodded,

"Yes… from what Kai told me he's still in a lot of pain… he was too ashamed to tell the doctors when he first arrived."

"Why?" Genki shrugged,

"I'm not sure why exactly. I spoke with his doctor after I realized he could have internal damage. The police will be investigating the crime, though I am waiting for a contact from them. His friend over heard the people behind it bragging about the act and that they hoped it would be lethal…" The girls exchanged a look, both seemed startled by this.

"Why would they want that?"

"Be cause they are bigots who hate those who are different from them…"

"Different how? You said they took issue with his relationship preferences, what preferences?" Holly probed, she was much better at this than Granity. She tended to ask very specific questions.

"My brother is gay, he only recently accepted this side of himself and was planning on dating. Apparently there are a lot of problematic people at his school. I never really thought much about which school he was at until now."

"Is that kind of behavior common?"

"No… it's rare that it becomes violent. Usually if that minority group makes a fuss they are just very vocal about it. They normally won't commit crimes over it." they both seemed relieved by this, and Genki could understand why. They still knew so little about his world.

"Did you know?" Granity asked,

"That he was gay?" She nodded, he felt her do so. "Yes I have known probably longer that he has." He chuckled, "I remember what porn he used to look at and I noticed his mannerisms were different then most men. I realized that he hadn't figured things out yet, so I stayed silent on the matter."

"Looking at porn were you?" Granity teased, attempting to lighten the mood. He chuckled lightly,

"More like accidentally walking in on him more than once. Which was entirely awkward for both of us…" he chuckled at the memory, "But I have looked at it myself before yes. It's pretty common in this world." He shrugged, he knew it might bother Holly but he wouldn't lie about it.

"Will he be alright?"

"He will be in time, I got him some help. The friend I spoke of is in contact with him, hopefully he can support him while I cannot. I had all I could do to hold it together at the hospital." Holly felt him lean into her more, she let him knowing he was having trouble still. Granity decided to prob something else now.

"Genki… did you ever experiment with other men?" Genki seemed unsure of exactly what she was asking.

"You mean with male porn? Or actual people?"

"Either…"

"I'm not bisexual if that's what you are really asking. I did experiment yes… but I never felt that way."

"Well I'm glad you let yourself explore things."

"Why wouldn't I? I have never made a habit of hiding from things, especially if I don't understand them. I tend to explore them to find understanding. It's what I did when my grandfather died…"

"What do you mean?"

"I explored death and anything surrounding it. Trying to find understanding. It certainly freaked my mother out, but my father convinced her to leave my be." He chuckled, "though I seem to have developed a morbid sense of humor after the fact."

"Did you find what you were searching for?" Holly whispered, she was unsure of how to deal with everything she was learning. He was a lot different then she remembered, * _Well we haven't talked about our personal lives as much since our fight… what did I expect really._ *

"I did yes… it helped me come to terms with his death a bit better." She smiled, her hand gently caressing his side again, her touch a bit lighter then before. He seemed to relax into her, Granity smiled seeing her adapt to his needs so easily. * _She doesn't even know why he is so sensitive yet and she already figured out a way to tell if he's uncomfortable. _*

"I'm glad it helped you. I know that kind of lose can be hard…" Her voice very soft, but she knew they both heard her words. They were silent a moment before Holly probed him again, "Genki can I ask about the sensitivity thing? What did you mean by your body being very sensitive?" He was silent a moment before answering her,

"Due to my anxiety, when I'm really emotional I become extremely sensitive to touch. Sometimes so much so that a touch will actually cause me pain even if it's not meant to. Right now it's just making things uncomfortable for me… but it's still something I have to deal with when my issues kick up." She was quiet a moment thinking about that, before asking.

"I take it your medication doesn't help with this?"

"This particular side effect is rare. The medication doesn't affect this aspect directly. Though it will help dull it as it will push my emotions down a bit, the only issue there is that my depression could worsen." He sighed, "I spoke with my doctor about switching medications but he isn't sure any of the others would really help me since I don't want to take them daily. So we have been attempting to figure out a way to deal with things without the drugs. It was working until recently…"

"Could you take your depression medication at the same time?" Granity probed now, she and Holly shared a worried glance.

"I could… they won't interact too badly with each other but the antidepressant I have will cause anxiety. And they both have a few… very unwanted side effects." Granity was intrigued now,

"What side effects?" He sighed as he tried to remember them all,

"There's a fairly large list but the big ones that are an issue are insomnia, loss of appetite, mood swings, and nausea; to name a few. I also hate the way I feel when I use them… I don't feel right…" Holly looked concerned now, "I know the book was confusing on how these medications actually work… so I'm not sure if you understand what they actually do."

"Well it said something about a chemical imbalance right?"

"Correct, but do you understand what those chemicals actually do?" The girls shared a glance before Holly spoke,

"Not really… I know we need them but not why." She felt him shift, his eyes meeting hers now. She could see he was still very tired, he seemed to be searching for a moment before he spoke again.

"I will try to explain though… it might be rough without a background in science." He looked over to find Granity watching him she seemed just as interested as Holly, "In order for our body to communicate with our brain certain chemicals are released. Each one has a different function. Some are for communication alone others make us feel things, like hormones for example. They are made of several different chemicals that change our behavior and how we feel." He noticed they both seem to be following him so far. "The chemicals that are imbalanced are on the production side for me. My body is still making them, in fact in the case of anxiety it's over producing the chemicals. In this case adrenaline and cortisol, these two are used for our flight or fight response, like running from danger; they are helpful for this but if they are over produced then it leads to anxiety."

"So it's over making them and then you feel anxious because of it?" Granity asked, clarifying what he had said.

"Yes." He nodded, "as for depression, it's an imbalance of a chemical called serotonin. This chemical has a calming effect normally, my levels on this one are too low part of the time, which is why my bouts of depression come and go. There are times that I have normal levels but it all depends on how stressed I am at the time. Serotonin will not be produced very well if my body is busy making adrenaline and cortisol, the chemicals that affect my anxiety." Holly looked like she was thinking all of this over, though this was all new to her. He waited a moment before continuing, "The medication is supposed to re-balance things. Either using the opposing chemical to calm me down, in the case of anxiety or lift my mood in the case of depression. The issue is that these two problems are opposites. If you affect one you inadvertently affect the second one. There are some medications that can do both, but… I'd rather not be on them since they have a huge list of side effects." Holly mulled over what he had just said, she defiantly understood better now but not everything he had just said. * _I really need to learn more science but it sounds like his anxiety is the main problem. What if… our fight caused this… I mean he didn't have any major issues until after our fight. Would he even tell me the truth if I ask though?_ * She waited a moment before speaking, hoping to word this in a way that he would understand her motives.

"So if I'm understanding this correctly, your anxiety seems to be the biggest issues here. It's triggering the other issues you have?" her voice was soft as her hand continued to gentle move along his side. Genki seemed physically relaxed with her, despite what they had gone through emotionally.

"Yes, my anxiety is the main culprit." Granity seemed interested in where Holly was going with this.

"When did your anxiety first start?" Genki seemed to look uncertain of what she was asking now. He looked like he was thinking it over before answering.

"We first noticed it when I was around… fifteen years old. Though at the time we weren't sure if it was something that would be a permanent issue or not. Teenagers sometimes 'grow out of it' so to speak after they become adults." * _so it was before our fight… though not much before it._ *

"What about your depression? You said that was later right?" Genki seemed to understand what she was doing now.

"It was discovered later yes, it didn't flare up until I was seventeen. Though from what we found out it was probably there along side my anxiety the whole time. It just happen to be masked by it at the time."

"So it flared up and that's how you discovered it?"

"Much like my brother yes. Holly… if you are trying to blame yourself for my depression, don't. That is completely beyond your control or mine. I'm aware you feel guilty but my issues are not your fault." She looked surprised by his statement, Granity looked concerned now. * _I hope he was interpreting her questions wrong…. He's right these issues weren't caused by her. _*

"Genki… you are right, those issues were not my fault but your flare up was. I was actually trying to get an understanding of when things happened… but yes I do feel guilty for causing that flare up." Genki seemed to search her eyes a moment,

"Holly… you couldn't have known that day the impact it would have. I never told you of my anxiety… and I was unaware of my depression at the time. Do not blame yourself for this." He made sure she understood him before he looked away. He glanced to Granity who nodded, understanding is unasked question. When he glanced back to Holly he could see her confusion and uncertainty. He sighed, "Holly I will talk with you about our fight soon… right now I can't. You definitely helped me release some of this but… I'm still close to my edge. I need time to deal with my stress before we do this or it won't be a productive conversation. I also need to be able to think clearly… I can't do that on while I'm on my medication. It interferes way too much for things to work out well."

"Wait it makes it hard for you to think?" Granity grew concerned now,

"It makes it hard for me to focus… it's like being in a mental fog part of the time." Holly wasn't sure about his medication now. * _if they are affecting him adversely like that then perhaps he's right to only use them when he has to. _*

"Genki what about your third issue? When did it show up?" He paused a moment before answering,

"The chronic stress disorder didn't get discovered until I was in my twenties but it was probably there the whole time."

"It amplifies your anxiety doesn't it?"

"It does at times yes." Granity had been thinking quietly to herself, she had a good understanding of why he hated his medication now. This brought up another mystery, how then was he dealing with it?

"Genki… you said you used other methods to deal with these issues. What are you using?" He glanced over at her, he could see the concern in her eyes but also a yearning. He wasn't blind, he knew both women were very worried about him at this point.

"I'm using a combination of things. You already saw the yoga I use. That isn't just for physical stress, it also effects me on a mental and emotional level. I also do meditation to help deal with my mental stress, sometimes it can also provide an emotional release as well. I've been looking into the emotional side more lately, reading up on chakras and how to re-balance them. The yoga and meditation I do along with a few other exercises will help with those." He trailed off as he thought of other things he did, he didn't really think about it much anymore. "There's always the other relaxing hobbies I have as well. They also help with my stress levels. Though one of the big things that helps is just helping other people with things." Granity was silent a moment before asking,

"What does meditation do exactly? And what are chakras?" He seemed to need more time to put this into words. It wasn't a simple concept, hell there were entire books written on the subject because of that.

"Meditation is a process and experience all in one. It's a way to reset oneself mentally and emotionally. Sometimes it can also be a spiritual thing, though that is up to the user. Often times it's specifically used to release stress, promote mental clarity, and a calm emotional state. It can also be used to train ones attention and awareness, depending on how it's used." Granity seemed to me thoughtful for a moment before asking,

"Is it different then your Yoga?"

"Yes, though there are some Yoga positions that are often used with it. If someones is experienced enough they can meditate and do Yoga at the same time. The motions used for the Yoga exercise will need to come naturally though and without thought. At that point its muscle memory driving the motions not cognitive thought." He smiled seeing her still looking a little confused, "Most of the time meditation is more of a stationary activity. When I do it, I'm generally seated; my focus is inward not on what my body is doing at the time." Holly seemed to be following him a little better than Granity,

"So it's kind of a self reflection then, looking inside and trying to find a way to release things?" Genki smiled to her and nodded,

"Yes, that's the gist of it."

"What about the chakras? What are those?"

"Chakras are… energy centers within the body. The belief is that if one is blocked and can't either send or receive energy efficiently that it affects us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Much like how a muscle can still function even when it has knots in it, these will also still function and send Prana, life energy, throughout the body. It's just a lot less efficient in that state, and can cause issues."

"Much like how a muscle is weaker than if it doesn't have knots?"

"Basically yes." He paused thinking a moment, "to fix them you basically need to exercise the energy in that area to unblock the flow. There are seven major chakras in the body, each governs something different. I've been working on two so far, trying to deal with my issues. I only recently got into this but I know that there is another chakra that has a lot of blocks in it. I just haven't gotten to it yet. It's recommended to work from the lowest one up, so that's what I have been doing. Mostly working with what's called the root chakra, since it can affect anxiety." he shrugged, he knew this would likely get confusing fast. * _she really should read a book if she wants to know more… I still have issues explaining this stuff since I just started using it…_ * Both ladies seemed confused but Holly decided to probe more,

"What are the seven chakras?" Genki raised a brow, she was at least intrigued.

"I'll tell you the name and location and a brief summary of each… well what I can remember. I only just started using this and I was mainly focused on some of the lower ones as they seem to be the ones with issues." He saw her nod as he closed his eyes to think, "The first is the root chakra which is located at the base of the spine inside the pelvis, it has a lot of do with survival needs and that includes the flight or fight response, hence it's like with anxiety. But it's known to affect ones stability and will power as well." He reopened his eyes now seeing them both attentive and listening to him. "Next is the Sacral chakra which is located in the lower abdomen, it has to do with ones sense of well being, creativity, optimism, and sexual pleasure. It can also affect depression from what I heard. I have been working on this one as well." He noted Holly turned red at the mention of sexual pleasure but didn't ask. Granity seemed mildly amused by her embarrassment. "above that is the Solar Plexus which is located in the upper abdomen. This one affects ones self esteem and self worth, as well as ones compassion for others." Granity smiled,

"Guess that one is good for you huh?"

"It only has minor issues in comparison." he chuckled, "Each of these also has physical effects as well since they do control certain organs. Emotionally and mentally I am fine with this one, not so much physically. However, I decided to work with the lower two first to see if the imbalance was there and not higher up." He saw her nod, he noticed Holly seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before he saw her eyes connect with his again. "The next one up is the Heart chakra, which is located along the spine behind the heart. This one controls both self love and love for others, it also has a lot to do with interpersonal relationships and openness within those relationships as well as empathy." He saw Granity's eyes widen,

"Is this the other one that's blocked for you?" He chuckled, *_ well that didn't take long and I didn't even go into the blocked effects…_ * He nodded,

"Yes this one is all kinds of messed up for me right now. It's been a real struggle." He gave her a look that said wait till I finish and she nodded letting him continue.

"Next is the throat chakra which gives it's location away in it's name. This one controls communication and expression of ones self, as well as how we understand others. The third eye chakra is located in the forehead between the eyes. This one controls intuition, imagination, and wisdom." He noticed the ladies looked less mystified now but he knew that would return shortly. "The final chakra is the crown chakra and it's the only one located outside of the body, believe to be just above the head. This one is basically a spiritual chakra that is more about spiritual awareness than anything." He saw them both sharing a glance.

"Do you believe in these… on the spiritual side?"

"I believe in the flow of energy within our bodies… the spiritual stuff… not so much with me. But I have always been about exploring possibilities and trying new things. This is no different. If it works great, if not then I continue my search." He shrugged,

"You said your Heart chakra is messed up? Can it be unblocked?"

"It can yes… though it's going to take… a lot of time and energy to do so." He glanced to Holly then sighed, "and some help. I believe our fight was what blocked this one. Until we resolve things… I can't really do much with this one. Which is why I have been avoiding it." Holly's eyes widened, she then looked concerned.

"I'll help however I can Genki… I want you to be able to heal." He smiled sadly and nodded,

"I'm not the only one who needs to heal Holly." He saw her eyes widen, she looked away for a moment seemingly unsure of what to say. * _He must have felt it when we connected… I didn't think I was that open but then…. I was desperate to help him. Perhaps it's time… _* She sighed finally then met his steady gaze.

"Your right… you aren't the only one. However, I'm more concerned about you at this point. I've been selfish enough, your pain will come first." He shook his head,

"We will need to help each other I think for this to work. It will be a slow process but I'm sure it can be done." He closed his eyes, next thing he felt was her forehead against his own. He smiled slightly at this affection.

"Genki… I know we can't talk about it yet, that's fine. Will you let me apologize?" He remained still a moment before speaking softly.

"I will and you can if you feel you need to." He remained where he was, enjoying their closeness despite his inner fear. He didn't want fear controlling him, nor would he stop her from expressing herself.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for how I acted back then, for how I have hurt you over something as stupid as fear. I never meant to imply by my actions that your love meant nothing to me or that I never loved you. I do love you, I always have and always will. Your love meant far more then even I realized that day. I don't know if you can forgive me or if I can earn your trust again. All I want now is to help you heal, to give you closure so you can finally be out of pain." Holly paused a moment before she continued, "From the bottom of my heart I'm sorry, I was wrong and I never should have hurt you. Can you ever forgive me for what I have done?" Genki listened to her words and found that she hadn't rehearsed them, no these were her genuine feelings. He listened to his own heart, though trembling in fear and in pain; he could forgive her. He never really found himself holding onto resentment.

"Holly, I can and do forgive you. Apology accepted. We will be working on things between us soon. For now I need a reprieve, I still have to deal with my stress before we can be productive. I want us both to find some closure… whatever that may look like." He felt her pull him close, he chuckled at her reaction.

"Thank you Genki…" He smiled, he could see she was crying again, he was sure she was relieved that he would allow her to help. His hand brushed a few tears away.

"Why don't we go eat? I can try it now… my stomach is less queasy. After that I will need to go meditate. You can stay here if you like, it's up to you."

"I would assume I wouldn't witness anything while you meditate?" Granity inquired,

"Just me sitting perfectly still… there not much you can see per say." he smiled to her, she nodded in return.

"Alright, then I'll leave you to it. I have a few books to read anyway." He nodded, slowly he disentangled himself from Holly, somewhat reluctantly, and sat up in bed. He would move slow until he was sure he wouldn't pass out. Once he was on his feet he headed downstairs, the two ladies following him to make sure he was alright. He smiled seeing the food on the table, Granity had covered it so it might still be warm, if not he would reheat it. He saw her blush slightly after Holly commented to her about her improving cooking skill. * _She definitely cooks very well for a monster. _* Genki sat down to eat, wondering how he would manage to get through the week without another attack. * _I can only hope that talking things out with Granity might help… if not then today is just the start of my issues. _*

* * *

_AAN: another long chapter, working towards a resolution for these two. Hopefully will happen in a few more chapters at the most. Then we can get out of the heavy atmosphere and into a lighter one. More comedy next chapter I promise. I did some basic research on everything in this chapter. It won't be a hundred percent accurate but it should be close. Please R&R._


	7. Understanding

_AAN: More progress towards a resolution between characters this time. Next couple of chapters should solve that. I hope you are enjoying everything thus far. Also warning this chapter will contain sexual content. I am trying to keep it tactful though._

* * *

**Understanding**

The next few days flew by for Genki, he had somehow found time to slip the ring to his father that he a picked up for him, taking care to keep his mother out of the loop. As the week progressed he had taken to doing more yoga and meditation then he normally would have. Working on his stress levels, things at work had thankfully settled down after his rejection of Rika. He had admittedly been very worried about that, but after his first day back, that fear left him. He did his presentation to the upper management of the postal service who had purchased the machine software. Though it was something he hated doing he was able to do it without too much trouble, even if it stressed him out. They stated that they would be in touch for a second contract for a different machine. Genki was happy to work on miscellaneous code for a while, big projects were a nightmare to deal with at times and he needed some rest mentally from that right now. Hiro noticed he seemed off and pulled him aside, saying he needed to discuss something with him. Genki walked into the office with him and had him close the door.

"What did you need to know Hiro?"

"Well first… did we deliver on the machine well enough to get the second contract?" Genki quirked a brow, he hadn't known that any other the others were aware of that possible second contract.

"They seemed to be very happy with the end result, and said they would be in touch about the second contract soon. Though they never stated what that might be or when." Hiro seemed thoughtful,

"I would assume it's for a larger machine…"

"It's very possible though I can't say for sure that it is."

"Say… what is going on with Rika and you? Both of you are acting weird this week…" Genki sighed, Hiro watched him as he seemed to be having trouble deciding how to go about this discussion.

"Rika… has always had a crush on me. I have never encouraged her in anyway as I really don't like her that way. She jumped me last Thursday, pinned me against the wall and kissed me. When I pushed her back and told her to stop she practically threw herself at me. Offered to bed me… she apparently thought that's what I wanted." Hiro seemed to be in a state of surprise,

"I think I understand now… you're the leader so you can't avoid her but you want to make sure she understands your decision is final. I got to say you have great restraint for someone in your position."

"What are you talking about?"

"A lot of guys would use their position to bed women…"

"Hiro… I am not someone who abuses power. That's not who I am, nor will I ever become like that." Hiro chuckled,

"Kasumi offered the same thing, didn't she?" Genki seemed unsure of how he knew that.

"She did and I refused."

"I figured she might. You really are something special Genki." Genki shrugged,

"I'm just doing my job." Hiro shook his head still chuckling. He then approached the other issue he had sensed,

"Genki… if you don't mind my asking... you don' have PTSD do you?" Genki shook his head,

"No, why do you ask?"

"Because you are acting like you are on the verge of a panic attack that's why." Genki eyed the older man a moment, searching his gaze before he sighed.

"That's because I am, I have anxiety. It's usually not an issue though this past week has caused a bit of a flare up." Hiro studied the young man a moment before nodding.

"Let me know if I can help. I'll take on more work if it will keep you stable."

"Honestly it's mostly personal stuff causing the issue." Genki sighed, "but if there is anything I need help with I will ask. I'm hoping after this week things will settle down so I can relax for a bit."

"Does Desu know?"

"About my condition?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, he is aware of it. I told him about it when I hired in, it's never been an issue until now."

"I'm sorry I made it worse for you by picking a fight when you took over as leader." Genki shook his head,

"It's fine. Let's just move on and get our work done."

"You didn't want it did you?"

"The promotion? No, I didn't but I wasn't given a choice." Genki shrugged, Hiro nodded his understanding.

"Let me know if you need anything or if you are going to have an attack." Genki nodded,

"I will… thank you Hiro." They both exited the office and went back to their desks to finish what they were working on.

* * *

When Genki returned home he found Granity and Holly chatting quietly at the kitchen table. He smiled seeing them both there, he noticed some food on the stove and knew Holly had likely made a meal for him. She and Granity had been doing what they could to help him, though he usually did his own cooking, it was after all very relaxing for him. He placed his things down and walked over where they were, he smiled to both women as he took a seat.

"You look tired."

"I am, final presentation of the machine was today. The client was very happy, looks like we will be getting a second contract with them. For now, I have my team working on some smaller projects from the help line. It's a good change of pace, it lets the team relax between projects." Holly made note of his very professional looking clothing, though didn't ask about it. She assumed it was due to the presentation with his client today.

"I'm glad you all get to relax, you all seem to work very hard." He smiled,

"How did things go with Rika?" He had mentioned her to Granity the other day due to his anxiety of returning to work.

"Alright… I still have to interact with her as leader of the team but I have put her with two of my other members to keep her away from me. Hiro apparently figured out something was up and asked me about it today. I explained things to him and he said he would assist me in keeping her in line if anything further were to happen. I also made my boss aware of the issue though I told him that I believed it was taken care of at this point." He saw them both nod; he knew they both enjoyed hearing about his life and how things were going. They had both proven that the past few days, Holly tried to visit each morning (night for Genki) so that she could get to know him better again. Holly had risen and gotten some warm water, she set about cleaning and redressing his wound as they had spoken. When she finished Genki rose with a smile and walked over to get himself something to eat, he wasn't surprised to find something new each time he came home to a meal. This time is was some form of goulash, though he wasn't certain when Holly had learned such a recipe. Though he knew she tended to make American or European like food, it was something he had noted his first time in the monster world.

"Genki I was asked to deliver a question to you by Colt." Holly spoke as he got his food,

"Oh? And what is her question?"

"She asked if it would be possible for her to visit your world? She was really excited at the prospect and wants to learn more about it." He raised a brow at that inquiry, he hadn't thought much of her visiting until now. * _Though… I can see her fascination…_ *

"I don't see it being an issue as long as she can behave herself."

"Tiger also would like to jump a crossed… do you think it's safe for him to try?" He sat back down at the table and looked over at her, she was entirely worried about his jump a crossed he could see it.

"At this point my theory on the portal seems to be holding… I don't see why it would vary now. However, I can't guarantee what the portal will do… form wise. It could make him into a normal dog or wolf, which we have here; or it could make him human. As far as safety goes, it shouldn't hurt him even if it changes his body on the way a crossed." He smiled, "As long as he is prepared to have to try and walk on two legs then I would say he will be fine." Granity chuckled at that thought of him trying to do so and failing.

"So you believe it will choose human?"

"I think it will yes, we are the only sentient species in this world. It's my theory that it would pick that due to his intelligence." Granity then started laughing making Holly share a glance of confusion with him,

"Sorry… the image of Suezo trying to hop around instead of walk in human form just popped into my head." Genki smiled as Holly giggled thinking about such a thing.

"I'm sure he would have a very difficult transition." He went about eating his meal as the girls continued to giggle.

"Speaking of Suezo… which day did you want to try talking to him Genki?" Genki seemed to be thinking a moment.

"Saturday would work I guess… It'll give me time to get things done on Sunday." He saw Holly nod,

"I'll make sure he knows… I'm assuming you will pop over in the evening?" He nodded as he ate,

"It's my hope that it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to deal with him… though you never know with him."

"He can be a handful yes…"

"Holly, have you ever discussed this topic at all with him?" He asked as he continued his meal, he wanted a rough understanding before they spoke.

"Sort of… I have told him my feelings are more akin to family for him and that I wouldn't feel comfortable having sex with what in my mind is my brother. It never seemed to deter him though…" Genki was silent a moment as he thought, it was Granity who asked an unexpected question.

"Did you tell him you physically can't do that with him?" Genki glanced to her in confusion as Holly shook her head.

"We never spoke about the physical side of things no…"

"It might have helped."

"Perhaps you are right."

"I'm going to assume... he would cause physical harm attempting to have sex with you then?" Genki gave Holly a look that told her he was defiantly out of his depth of knowledge on such things. She nodded,

"Yes… it's not possible for us to … mate without physical injury…" Genki shook his head,

"Would have defiantly helped to mention that I think…" Granity decided to fill Genki in since Holly seemed reluctant to discuss it.

"Genki… I assume you don't know what his cock looks like by your question."

"Haven't a clue what it's like or where it is… I assumed it must be internal like a dragon since I have never seen it." Holly had turned colors by now and was silent, Granity just smiled in amusement as Genki waited for her to continue.

"I figured as much. Yes, it is internal, it's not a size issue like a dragon though it's the shape. It's a hook shape, it's actually in the middle of his tail, just below the bend point." Genki nodded his understanding,

"I can see that shape being not only painful but dangerous." Genki now remembered a time where Golem stepped on him making him scream like a banshee. * _well now I know why he was screaming like a girl…_ * Genki sweat dropped at the memory. He then glanced to Holly,

"I'm assuming he has shown off to you or was that in one of those breeder books?"

"Both… unfortunately. I never wanted to see it but he was proud of his first erection." Genki and Granity sweat dropped at that, sharing a look of 'seriously?!' before returning to Holly who was mildly embarrassed. "He was so happy to be an adult… at the time I wasn't sure what to do with him."

"Did it continue?"

"Yes… until I told him I didn't want to see that. He told me he could please me… I told him no and left it at that. I suppose in retrospect I should have told him why."

"Right now he believes it's because he's a Suezo… He feels betrayed… You have to explain things to him. Holly does he know what a human vagina looks like internally? Or has he only seen the outside?" Holly was scarlet at this point making him raise a brow * _seriously Holly you need to get over this stuff… no wonder he never learned anything from you. _*

"As far as I know he only knows what the outside looks like… I have never seen him with any anatomy books." She managed to answer the question though deeply embarrassed by it. Genki heard Granity sigh, he figured she saw the same issue he was seeing.

"Granity question for you since I'm not familiar with monster anatomy. Are pixies able to adapt to their male partners when it comes to mating?" He glanced to her as she looked mildly surprised by the question. Genki noticed Holly was now hiding her face in her hands but chose to ignore her for now. Granity nodded,

"Yes we can adapt to any male. It wouldn't cause any issue for me to breed with a Suezo." He nodded,

"I thought as much, but I wanted to be certain. The main issue is since you look just like a human female from the outside he is assuming a human can adapt just like a pixie can. He has no idea that a human female would be in a lot of pain and or suffer physical damage from such a union." He sighed, "It seems an anatomy lesson is in order to fix this issue." He noticed Granity was soothing rubbing Holly's back now,

"You alright Holly?" Granity seemed concerned though Genki thought Holly really needed a push to get her over such things.

"Yeah… sorry… that got way too… in-depth all the sudden." Genki sighed,

"Holly two things, One I need you to bring me a breeder book on Suezos. I'm going to need the background knowledge on them if I'm going to get him to understand things. And two, I would recommend that before our discussion happens that you spend some time alone with Granity. If you can't discuss this without locking up due to embarrassment then we won't make much progress. Get yourself relaxed beforehand please." She stared at him unsure of what to think for a moment. * _does he know? Did she tell him or did he figure it out?_ * Granity looked just as shocked so she decided it wasn't Granity that had told him.

"Genki… how did you… know that I'm…" She was having trouble finishing that but he did it for her.

"That you're aroused? Simple after you are with Granity you can speak freely about such things without turning red. It's obvious that you have some pent-up sexual energy that you need to release. You really need to stop suppressing it." He smiled gently to her as he stood to place his dish in the sink. Holly buried her face in Granity's shoulder as she dealt with things. Granity whispering in her ear,

"See I told you he would accept you." Genki heard that and nearly snorted in amusement but managed to hold it back. * _She seriously thought I couldn't accept her high sex drive? After all the BDSM she heard about from me?_ * He shook his head in disbelief * _What are they teaching in that world for sex ed? Well if its like our old school world, they are shaming them into not being active at all. Though I never thought they would do that in her world, I never saw any indication of it anyway. Perhaps I need to talk to her father for a bit after I speak to Suezo. _* After Holly finally recovered she looked over to find Genki placing some tea before her. He sat down after giving Granity her cup.

"Genki… you are very observant… I never realized how observant until now."

"I do try to pay attention. It's not like you don't do the same thing to me." She nodded as she sipped her tea, he knew it would help her calm down.

"You don't mind that I have a high sex drive?"

"No, why would I?" He chuckled, "After everything you heard about the whole BDSM thing, why would you ever think I would be bothered by something as mundane as a high sex drive?" Holly thought a moment about that. * _Why did I think he couldn't accept that… come to think of it he has done a lot weirder things sexually than I ever have… _*

"I… don't know… I guess I just thought… you were the same as some of the others…" He looked concerned now,

"What are you talking about?" She seemed to need a moment, Granity placed a hand on her shoulder for support.

"I was told only whores have high sex drives… when I was young… I was caught masturbating once… I was punished for it…" Genki was upset now, * _what the hell?!_ *

"Who told you that and punished you?"

"A woman in my village who was like a mother to me… after mine passed." it was only after she answered that she looked up and was startled by the look in Genki's eyes. * _Why is he so upset? _* He seemed to need a minute making Granity look a bit concerned.

"That woman was completely out of her mind for _EVER_ saying that or doing that to you. I hope she was not a mother herself. Both sex and masturbation are completely normal and natural. Science has proven over the years that it is healthy to masturbate as it releases tension and stress. This is especially true when we are going through puberty." He seemed to grumble a bit after his statement as he returned to sip his tea. He was furious with that woman, * _No wonder she feels shame and suppresses everything. Stupid bitch, she was probably jealous or a religious prude! I really hate that behavior. _* Granity knew well enough by now that he hated when people forced others to do what they believed on a personal level. She had spoken to him more than once on the subject over the past few days.

"I take it you hate that kind of…"

"Indoctrination? Yes, nothing pisses me off more than stupidity like that. I may hate the fact that my sister sleeps around but not because she is being sexually active. What I hate is the fact that she uses her looks and her body to goad others into doing her bidding. She only sleeps with them for what they can give her not because she wants sex. That is my cut off point, I don't like liars or those who manipulate others for their own gain. She's also very reckless… there are much worse consequences for sleeping around the way she does than just being labeled a whore." He seemed to need a moment so Granity gave it to him, Holly seemed shocked by his rage over the whole matter.

"Genki… are you saying that you wouldn't care if she slept around if she was careful and wasn't trying to get things in return?" Holly seemed uncertain of his opinion,

"That is exactly what I am saying. I really don't care who she sleeps with as long as it's not for manipulation purposes. Believe me she has always had an issue with manipulating others, ever since we were kids she has done that. And that was long before she knew anything about using her body to get what she wanted." He shook his head,

"So, she has done it to family as well then?"

"All the time, always trying to get favors or stuff, always trying to bribe people. She really has no morals when it comes to that." Both women looked completely uncertain of how to react to his sisters habits,

"Does she have a disorder?"

"Probably though she has never been tested. In fact, she refuses to be tested. Which makes me think she knows she has something wrong with her and won't try to fix it. It will catch up with her eventually, it's only a matter of time." Granity decided to change the subject as both she and Holly at a loss for what to say. She wasn't sure how Genki dealt with these issues so easily but then he had grown up having to deal with them so perhaps I was just that he was used to them.

"Anyway, Genki have you made any progress on your chakra blocks? You said you were working on your root chakra yesterday."

"Some yes, though not as much as I had hoped. I was able to get some release on that chakra though. Still a bit of work to do before I'm ready to move to the next one."

"I'm glad you got something to release. You seem calmer the past couple of days."

"That's because I am. I feel better now that a few big stressors are out of the way. I know I still have things I have to do but most of the week should be fairly relaxed for me." Granity smiled hearing this, he defiantly needed some time to relax. Genki heard his phone go off, looking down at his watch he looked confused, "Restricted… not many numbers are restricted…" He rose and walked to his phone answering it.

["Hello?"]

["Hi this is the Edogawa Police station. I have a call for a mister Sakura, Genki from a miss Sakura, Rei. Will you accept the call?"] Genki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.

["Yes, I'll accept it."]

["Alright, I'm connecting you now."] Genki heard the call connecting and ringing, soon his sister picked up.

["Genki?"]

"I'm here what do you need?" He spoke in English throwing her off. He had placed the call on speaker phone so Holly and Granity could hear it.

"Why are you talking to me in English?"

"Because I have company over. Now what do you need?"

"I need some help… I know you won't believe me but I they hauled me in for something I didn't do." He sighed,

"What are the charges?"

"Murder…" His eyes widened at that, "And some drug charges."

"I'm not even discussing the drug stuff. You and I both know you did that." He sighed, "What do you remember happening?"

"How'd you know I was high?" She seemed unsure of how he had known about her drug usage.

"I'm not stupid Rei. Now answer the question."

"Well… that last thing I remember after I got high was banging some dude. When I woke up some other guy was dead… I was covered in blood from being on the floor nearby… No sign of the guy I was with though." Holly saw Genki roll his eyes,

"Do you know the guy's name you were fucking?"

"No… he was just some guy I met for drugs…" This made Genki's jaw tighten, he sighed again.

"Did you recognize the dead guy at all?"

"Never seen him before…" Genki seemed to be thinking for a moment,

"Do you know what killed the other guy?"

"Stabbing… the blade was left at the crime scene."

"You didn't touch it did you?"

"No, I'm not that stupid."

"Anything else?"

"Well… I'm covered in bruises… not sure what happened though. I don't remember anything."

"What were you on?"

"Heroin..."

Genki seemed uncertain what he could really do, then he got an idea.

"Alright, I can't help you myself as this is out of my expertise but I know a friend who can; Hei, Kenshin. He's a lawyer and a very good one at that. We can get the murder charge dropped easily enough, they don't really have anything on you from the sounds of it. **BUT **you must be completely honest with him so that he can do his job, do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah… I understand."

"If you want a lighter sentence on the drug stuff then roll on your supplier. Generally, they would rather go after the supplier than the user. You will still get some jail time for it though, there is no way around that."

"And get myself killed by the Yakuza? Are you mad?"

"It's up to you, but I highly doubt your supplier is connected to the Yakuza. They generally don't deal in small time drug operations. I'm sure Kenshin will agree with me is you ask him. He's been in criminal law for years."

"Alright, I'll consider it."

"Where are you being held?"

"The precinct near Edogawa station."

"Alright I will call Kenshin and have him handle your case. Behave yourself please, we don't need any more charges while you are in jail."

"Oh, like I'm going to try to bribe the police… seriously…"

"I am more worried about you mouthing off or getting into fights with other prisoners actually."

"I won't don't worry…" she was silent a moment, "Can you tell mom? I'm not sure if she will care but…"

"She will care yes, just as I do. Yes, I will call her."

"Is she alright?"

"She will be."

"Thanks, love you brother." Genki seemed uncertain of her intentions with her declaration of love. But he returned it regardless, he wasn't heartless even if he was cautious with her. She often used love to manipulate others.

"I love you as well. I will talk with you later." He heard her hang up and the officer get back on the line.

["Were you sending a lawyer?"]

["Yes, I will have him call you tomorrow. Hei, Kenshin from Shibuya district."]

["We will be expecting his call. Thank you and good night."] Granity sat their amazed at how fluently he shifted between the two languages. She never realized how easy it was for him. He could see both women we worried and uncertain of what to say.

"It seems her nonsense finally caught up with her."

"You don't seem worried or surprised." Granity probed,

"I'm not. I knew it would happen eventually. I will hire her a lawyer for the murder charges but she will still go to jail regardless. Might do her some good actually." He shrugged, he took his seat again. "I'm sure Mom and dad will be annoyed. I will wait to call them, I don't want to ruin their 25th anniversary, they have been looking forward to this for too long."

"So, you think she needs some time behind bars?" Granity looked uncertain,

"It's the only way she will learn I think. She is too stubborn for anything else."

"This won't stress you out will it?"

"No, I'm not going to get involved directly with this nonsense. I'm only going to hire someone for her, that's all." He shrugged, he sipped his tea as he waited to see how they handled his indifference,

"Why didn't she call your parents?"

"She had only one call… there was a very good chance they would not have answered her. It's not her first time in jail, usually it was petty crimes. They stopped answering, I'm the only one who will answer even when I don't want to. She knows that, she also knows that my parents wouldn't be likely to assist her in anyway. Though this might be the one exception, it was still a safer bet for her to call me."

"I think I understand… you hate what she does… but you still love her." Holly spoke now, giving him an earnest look.

"Exactly Holly."

"Does she always have sex with guys she doesn't know?"

"She tends to yes… to get drugs or other stuff. Names aren't important when you are after stuff apparently. Would have been helpful if she had a name, as it was probably the guy she had sex with that killed the other dude. There is no way with as high she was that she could managed it, plus if she has bruising it means someone got rough with her. Whether that was from a fight or sex, who knows."

"Could she have been raped?" Granity asked making him look over at her,

"It's possible… though it's hard to tell considering her state at the time. I will mention it to Kenshin, they can have a someone examine her and see if there are signs of a rape. Or even another guy having sex with her. She probably won't remember it either way."

"She seems reckless" Granity comment at length,

"She has always been that way. I'm actually surprised her luck has held out this long."

"Hopefully she will learn from this." Holly stated hoping to put him at ease, sure he said he wouldn't be involved but it was stressing him to a degree.

"We can only hope." He finished his tea then noticed how late it was. * _I really need to meditate before bed… _* "Holly can you bring me the breeder book I need in the next couple of days?" He saw her nod,

"I'll bring it tomorrow." He smiled,

"Thanks, I'll have to find an anatomy book so I can teach him. This will likely be a difficult lesson for him." She nodded,

"I understand… I'm sorry… I should have taught him back when he was younger… I just…"

"I know… you felt uncomfortable especially after what happened to you. It's alright, we will take care of it now. Just promise me you won't run from this anymore."

"I promise Genki. I want this to be resolved… I'm done running from things." He smiled and nodded,

"Are you stay with Granity for a while?"

"If you don't mind?" He saw her blush,

"Not at all. I need to meditate anyway." He saw the ladies nod, "Granity can send you back when you wish to leave. I will head to bed after I finish my meditation."

"Genki I need to talk with you in the morning about something." Granity stated as she rose from her chair.

"I'll make time for a chat it the morning then." He saw the ladies head to the basement as he walked upstairs. He knew Holly needed some time alone with Granity after such a discussion. It was obvious she had a lot of pent up sexual frustration at this point. * _I wonder if Granity can even get her to release it all? I can only hope she can release enough of it before we talk to Suezo that she can actually hold a decent conversation._ * Genki headed to his room to change out of his tight work clothes, once he was in his loose fitting shorts he went to his yoga room to meditate.

* * *

Downstairs the girls were just getting into things, Granity was holding Holly close asking her a question she had been curious about since Holly had confessed to Genki upstairs.

"Holly… why didn't you tell me that woman punished you for masturbating?"

"I… It's a hard memory for me… I honestly only remembered it recently after our conversation."

"You blocked it out?"

"Yes…" Granity held her close,

"Holly… was she abusive with that punishment?" Holly was silent a moment, considering the question. She hadn't thought about it in that sense, Granity waited knowing that this was something she may not have considered.

"Yes… very abusive… now that I look back on it. Maybe that's why her daughter ran away…"

"She was a mother?"

"Yes… though not a good one from what the rumors around the village were. Her daughter ran away from home, no one knows where she went. I hadn't thought about that till now."

"What did she do to you?" Holly seemed to stiffen at this question, "just whisper it if you can't say it out loud." Holly complied whispering it into Granity's ear. Granity's eyes widened, soon she was looking very concerned. Holly buried her face in Granity's chest after the fact, Granity held her a she sobbed. * _How dare that woman abuse her like that! She was getting off on it I bet. No wonder Holly understood what I went through…_ * "Holly… she was abusing you… it never should have happened. I hope this wasn't a routine thing."

"No… she only did it that one time. After that I never saw her again. She and her husband left to find their daughter…"

"So, they were gone when Mu's troops attacked?"

"No, they had returned a few days prior to the attack. They never found their daughter."

"Sounds like she didn't want to be found." Holly nodded, Granity was relieved the woman was dead. * _Bitch deserved that… for what she did to her. No wonder her daughter left._ * "Holly did you masturbate after she left the village?"

"Yes… I couldn't help it… I found a really good hiding place that no one knew about. No one could sneak up on me either. I always carried a book with me so they would think I was reading if they did find me."

"Well I'm glad you got some relief despite what she did to you. Did you father know about the abuse?"

"No… he wasn't aware of it… neither were my grandparents. Grandmother was the one who told me to masturbate after she noticed how moody I was. She explained to me that is was natural… when I asked about the whole whore thing she laughed and said that was untrue. I guess I should have listened to her…"

"You should have told them what she had done to you…"

"I know… but I was ashamed of it…"

"Holly… the only one who should have been ashamed was that woman." Holly nodded, she relaxed under her lover's touch.

"Granity… I want to be free from this… I don't want to keep feeling shame for enjoying sex."

"Then let Genki and I help you. We both love you and we both want you to be free of this Holly." She nodded,

"I will Granity… do you think… Genki will want to be with me? I mean he's been hurt really bad by me… I felt his pain… it was nearly unbearable… in fact it was far worse than I ever imagined."

"Holly, he still loves you. He does want to be with you yes, it will just take time for him to open up again. Being open with him is helping him, the more you are honest and open with him the more he will relax with you." She felt Holly nod, she then smiled as her hands wandered over Holly's body making the young woman moan softly.

"Granity… will you make love to me?" Her voice was soft an embarrassed,

"Gladly. Will you let me do a few new things to you this time?"

"Like what?" Holly was curious what she wanted to do, her body shivered as Granity whispered.

"I'd like to do oral sex tonight. Will you let me?" she felt Holly's heart rate pick up after she asked that question. Holly was silent a moment before replying softly,

"Yes… just… ease me into it please." Granity chuckled as she kissed Holly's neck causing another shiver to run through her lover's body.

"I will don't worry, I plan on pleasuring you for while tonight." Granity smirked as Holly moaned under her touch again, she guided Holly to the bed ready to please the young woman in every way.

* * *

By the end of the week Genki had managed to relax himself enough to deal with Suezo. He had gotten Kenshin to deal with his sister, told his parents about the fiasco after their anniversary was over, spoken with the police about his brother's case, bought an anatomy book for Suezo, and read through the breeder book Holly had brought him. While he was busy doing all these things Granity was working with Holly to get her to unwind and relax. Genki was currently driving home from work, Holly's blade tucked in a bag beside him. He had received it from Akame that afternoon when they met up for lunch. Akame had probed him, trying to see if he was going to date Holly but hadn't expected to get reamed by him for disclosing information she shouldn't have. He told her it was not her concern whether they dated or not, refusing to address the topic again. He sighed, * _I know she means well… I just didn't want Holly to know that right then. This is something we have to take on slowly… neither of us really trust each other anymore. I know Holly was hiding her pain but once I felt it… it's hard to imagine why she wouldn't just admit she was wrong sooner. Perhaps I'm missing something still. _* As he pulled in the driveway he wondered if Granity would be open to do anything tonight, yes he would need to let Holly have her before they met up with Suezo but he really needed some company. * _I hope she is willing to keep me company tonight… _* He walked in the house to find it quiet, he looked around confused. Nothing had been made for dinner and the two women were no where to be found. * _Did something happen or are they downstairs?_ * He shrugged and put his stuff away before investigating. He wandered downstairs and saw the door was closed to 'their room', the light was off and he didn't hear anything coming from there. *_Ah… they probably fell asleep after the fact. Well I guess I'll be alone again tonight. _* He sighed slightly disappointed but walked back upstairs. Soon he began to make his dinner, making some fried rice out of left overs. After eating he decided to play a game before bed, he wasn't sure why but he felt very emotional all the sudden. Shrugging it off he walked into the living room and turned on his TV, flipping it to the correct mode he turn on the console and started up a bright and cheerful game. * _Maybe this can improve my mood…_ * He played his game a for a couple of hours before he finally decided he should head to bed, he would meditate before he slept. Looking at his arm he grimaced, * _I guess I'll have to try and do this myself… I really don't want to disturb them._ * Genki walked into the kitchen and grabbed everything he needed. Carefully he unwrapped his arm, it was still oozing and the bandage was stuck once again. Carefully he worked it loose with the use of some warm water. Once done he forced himself to clean it despite the pain he felt, after he finished he patted it dry. He took a break for a moment to deal with his pain. *_ I seriously doubt this will heal up in the next week… three weeks my ass more like six weeks at this rate. I'll have to call my doctor I guess and get another ointment prescription. This won't last past the three week mark. _* he sighed heavily as he began to carefully apply the salve, it was hard to apply the salve evenly as he couldn't see what he was doing. Wrapping it would prove to be extremely hard but he some how managed to do it nonetheless. It didn't look or feel as good as when Holly did it but it was clean, that was all that really mattered. Rising he put away his medical supplies, he wrote the girls a note letting them know he had gone to bed. He would give Holly her dagger tomorrow, for now he needed rest. Making sure the door was locked, he turned the lights out and walked upstairs. He would meditate briefly while in his bed before he rested, still he couldn't shake the feeling of utter loneliness. * _Damn… why do I feel this way all the sudden? It's not been an issue all week. Why now?_ * Genki changed into his night wear and got into bed. Sitting up with his legs crossed he began to do his breathing exercises, trying to let his emotions and stress go. Eventually he began to meditate, as he did he worked through his loneliness letting it go. As his emotions flowed, tears ran down his cheeks but this was the only sign of his emotions while he meditated. When he finished he felt slightly better but still couldn't shake the need to be with someone. Still he forced himself to sleep, knowing he would need the rest if he was going to deal with Suezo.

* * *

When Granity finally woke she realized it was really late, nudging Holly awake she rose to put her bikini top and bottom back on. Holly looked confused a moment before she seemed to realize how late it was.

"Did we really sleep for 5 hours?"

"Yeah we did, Genki probably already went to bed. I'll go check though." Holly looked a little upset now.

"I should have been up, his wound needed to be tended…" Granity turned to her,

"He'll be alright, let me go see if he's still up. Get dressed." Holly did so while Granity walked upstairs. Finding the house dark, she turned the light on. Some pans on the stove told her he had already made a meal for himself. She found his note confirming this and that he went to bed. Granity sighed, * _why do I feel like I need to go to his side right now? I feel like something is wrong… _* Holly walked upstairs to see Granity with note in hand.

"He went to bed, didn't he?"

"Yes, he made some food as well. Apparently, we were either dead to the world or he was very quiet. He changed his own bandage somehow. I saw a discarded one in the trash, looks really bad still." Holly looked extremely worried,

"He needed help…"

"Holly… please don't feel bad. Both of us were out cold. He could have woken us if he wanted, he choose not to."

"Granity… am I the only one that feels something is wrong?" Granity looked startled then shook her head.

"No, I feel it too… I'm going to check on him. If I'm not back down in ten minutes then come upstairs." Holly nodded, she walked over to make some tea as Granity ventured upstairs.

* * *

Granity made her way upstairs to his room, she heard him moaning in what seemed to be pain as she approached the door which was ajar. Opening it she found he was breathing hard, struggling in his sleep from what seemed to be a nightmare. Granity went to his side immediately to wake him. "Genki wake up! Come on wake up!" she shook him, after several attempts his eyes flew open, he grabbed her unsure of what was happening. She had expected this and didn't resist him, instead she spoke softly. "Genki it's alright, it was just a bad dream." Genki released her arm, he seemed shaken his eyes showing fear though she wasn't sure what he had seen. His body shook slightly as he dealt with things, Granity guided him into her arms just holding him. Eventually he broke down, tears falling as he held onto her. Granity just held him whispering over and over that he was safe and that it was alright. *_What did he see? Why did both Holly and I know he was having a nightmare? Now I feel bad for not being there for him when he got home. We really messed up… we are supposed to be helping him. Yet… we have been focused on each other most of this week. _* she sighed, she would discuss this with Holly later but for now she just held him. Holly ventured up after Granity hadn't returned, she saw him clinging to Granity as he sobbed. Holly's eyes met her lovers and she could tell something was wrong, Holly came over and gently rubbed his back, hoping to comfort him. It took another five minutes before he calmed down, his eyes still holding a hollow yet fearful look to them. Holly noticed the look in his eyes, she had never seen him like this before. After a few more minutes Granity spoke softly to him, "Genki are you alright now?" it took him a moment to answer, he shook his head. "What did you see? You were having a nightmare when I came up to check on you." instead of answering he rested his head on her shoulder. Holly looked extremely worried now, the way he was reacting was not normal even for someone having a nightmare. * _Did he take his medication or something?_ * Finally, he responded to her question in an unexpected way.

"It wasn't just a nightmare…" Holly and Granity shared a look of confusion,

"Then what was it?" He pulled back shaking his head,

"I can't… not right now…" Holly placed her hand on his back and gently projected some calm into him, his fear was intense but it was when she connected with him that she felt his loneliness and what seemed to be hopelessness. It confused her but then she wasn't sure what he had seen. He felt her trying to help him, at first, he wanted to reject it but he forced himself to accept the help. Granity realized what her lover was doing. *_ He can't talk about it while he's this upset so she is trying to relax him. Still what did he mean it wasn't just a nightmare?_ * When he finally relaxed, Holly smiled to him and spoke softly.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes, thank you…"

"Genki can you tell us what happened?" she gently probed still projecting to him. He seemed guarded and uncertain of what to do. * _I have never discussed this with anyone… yet when I told my brother of it, he seemed alright with it. Should I tell them? I'm still uncertain of Holly… but… her pain was real… and so is her love… I felt it while we connected. Yet… I fear this so much…_ * he was shaking again making Granity pull him close once more.

"Just relax. If you can't talk right now it's alright. We just want to help Genki, but if it's too much for you we both understand." After a few more minutes he sighed,

"I've never discussed this with anyone…" his words caught both women off guard.

"Discussed what Genki?" Holly was soothing stroking his back again as Granity held him gently. He sighed heavily finally giving in.

"For a very long time I have… been having visions periodically. As far as I can tell they are basically someone's memories that I'm forced to live through. Nearly all of them are… bad memories. This one was no different." Both women exchanged a look of surprise, neither expecting that answer.

"What did you see that scared you so much?" Holly spoke gently, while Granity continued to hold him. She would let Holly coax him into talking, she was far better with delicate things.

"What I saw or should I say lived through was my brother's rape…" his voice was soft but they heard him. They both shared a looked of both shock and worry.

"Genki… will you be alright?" Granity asked softly,

"In time… I need time to process this. I probably won't be sleeping anymore tonight…" He sighed and leaned against Granity again, she held him close letting him relax. She felt his body shake slightly, it was obvious he was still upset. "I understand perfectly why my brother tried to take his own life… That was far more... brutal then even I imagined." Holly looked extremely concerned now, she spoke softly her voice filled with concern.

"Can you release it or do you need help?" He seemed to hesitate, he looked deep in thought for a bit before answering.

"I'm not sure… the visions… are different then my own experiences… they are far more powerful emotionally speaking. It's like they are being amplified somehow. It's not as simple as releasing it Holly." Granity decided to probe a little now,

"Can you process what you saw on your own?"

"I can… it will take time. This isn't the first… vision like this I have dealt with." She shared a look of deep concern with Holly now. * _his ability is making his condition worse… I am really surprised he hasn't tried to kill himself again…_ *

"How long have you been having these visions?"

"Since I was thirteen… They are sporadic… I have no control over when they happen or if they do."

"Would it help if I stayed with you tonight?" Granity asked gently,

"I doubt I can sleep after living through that memory… even with someone next to me."

"You need rest Genki…"

"This won't be my first all-niter Granity… don't worry about it so much…" She sighed as Holly decided to try something different. She knew he was being stubborn and needed some time to unwind before he could sleep again.

"Why don't we have some tea down stairs and see if we can take your mind off of it for a while. I'm sure Granity can give you a massage to help you relax." He nodded, slowly he let go of Granity and move to stand.

* * *

Granity made sure he was alright and then three went back down stairs. Granity took him to the living room, having him sit next to her on the couch while Holly fetched the tea. Genki leaned against her as they waited for Holly, Granity decided to wrap an arm around him hoping to provide comfort. He seemed to need her touch right now and she wouldn't deny him. * _Damn… I really should have been up when he got home…_ *

"How did work go? You said your boss had an announcement for everyone this morning, right?" Holly brought the tea in as she asked this. She smiled to Granity, appreciating that her lover was trying to distract him for his traumatic vision. He accepted his tea from Holly before answering the question.

"Well apparently since we have been getting a lot of large jobs that pay well lately, he is giving us a week off work so we can go to some of the festivals. He wants us to be refreshed and ready to work on the new projects that come up." Granity looked intrigued,

"Is that normal?"

"Some businesses do this practice but not all; in fact, this is new for us. Our business has grown over the past year. We are pulling in larger contracts then we ever have before, which is why he wants to thank us. Plus, I think he can tell all of us are experiencing burn out now, we need time to relax in between large projects other with the projects with suffer as a result."

"So, when does your week off start?"

"I will need to work another week before I get my week off. We have a few things to push out the door before we can relax for a bit. We will likely get set up for when we come back before we take off. I know a lot of my coworkers with definitely be headed to some of the festivals. I usually try to make one each year, not sure which one I'll attend this year though." Genki sipped his tea as he tried to calm himself down, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, even with help. * _Well I better find something productive to do… I don't want to dwell on this all night after all. Though knowing Granity she will press the issue of my getting some rest, or at least attempting to. _* Holly decided to bring up a new topic with Genki, she knew they would have to keep him distracted for a bit if there was any hope of him getting sleep tonight. Though embarrassed to even bring it up she decided it was best to get it out there before they spoke to Suezo.

"Genki… something occurred to me that will likely come up when we talk to Suezo."

"Oh?" he glanced over at her, she could see he was intrigued.

"Well… if Suezo finds out that his body will be changed coming through the portal… he will likely try to use that as an excuse to have sex with me…" Genki looked concerned and thoughtful both, *_ She is right… he would try that, he is desperate to make love to her…_ *

"Then we will have to drive home the fact that he is a brother to you. Holly was there any other sisterly figure in his life growing up?"

"Yes, Pink Eye looked after both of us."

"Was he ever perverted towards her?" Holly seemed to be thinking now, * _He was definitely perverted around her… but towards her… I don't remember him ever doing that. _*

"Not that I can remember. Anytime he was perverted around her she was always quick to scold him."

"Then we can use that as an example. If he truly felt that she was a sister to him, then he should find the idea of sex with her repulsive. Just as you do with him as your brother." He smiled gently to her as she nodded and returned the smile. Granity decided that since he had finished his tea that she would give him a massage. Gently she moved into position and began to work his shoulders. She could tell by his reaction that he was really sensitive again, she spoke softly to him.

"Just try and relax, I'll be gentle though I can't do this properly without being firm in my touch."

"I know… thank you…" He seemed to relax under her touch, his felt very good to him and he was once again holding back moans. Holly left briefly to make some more tea for them, while she was gone Granity whispered into his ear.

"Don't hold your feelings back, there's no need. Just let everything go Genki." He heard her and knew what she was talking about. He was hesitant to moan in front of Holly. "You accepted her… let her accept you." He heard her whisper, he understood its meaning. * _I guess I should trust her… she knows Holly well enough to know that she will be OK with this. Holly knows I'm sensitive… I can only hope it won't bother her too much._ * When Granity worked his lower back, he couldn't resist any longer. She knew this was where he felt the greatest release, where all his tension was stored. A moan escaped his lips as Holly walked back in the room. She glanced over in confusion as Granity just smirked at her. She could see Genki was experiencing pleasure from the massage somehow. She heard a few more soft moans of pleasure escape him as she sat the tea pot down on the table. Holly took a seat as Granity finished up with Genki. She heard a few pops from his spine and guess that he had been very stressed out earlier today. She poured the tea for them then took a sip of her own while she waited. * _I didn't realize his sensitivity made things feel good as well… apparently, I've never triggered that but then I wasn't giving a massage at the time. I hope he can get some sleep before we speak to Suezo… still… witnessing an event like that first hand… it's got to be rough on him. I wonder if there is anything I can do to help him process that or if he has to do so on his own?_ * When Granity finished Holly noticed a faint blush on Genki's cheeks as he relaxed against the couch again. He glanced to Granity who smirked at him making his blush worse briefly,

"Thanks… I feel much better."

"I wasn't expecting so many pops tonight. You stressed yourself out again, didn't you?"

"It was a trying week to get everything handled… besides my vertebra pop a lot anyway." He took a sip of his tea trying to ignore the whole moaning in pleasure aspect of it. Granity chuckled at him while shaking her head. Holly decided to see if she could understand things better now,

"Is that normal to have vertebra do that? Or did you injure them?" Her voice soft as she gently probed him. He glanced over at her noticing she seemed alright with what had just happened.

"It's normal, though mine move more than most due to injuries. It generally doesn't hurt when they pop, they just move slightly. The popping noise is actually coming from air pockets near the discs that cushion the spine. So, it's just air and fluid moving around." Holly nodded her understanding, she seemed to thoughtful for a moment.

"So, the injuries make them more likely to move?"

"Yes, they do. Though I have a few that don't like to move as well. Those discs are damaged which is why they resist movement. The middle of my back near the curve has some damaged discs."

"Is that why you carry all your stress there?" Granity asked, she had been just listening as Holly probed him. He nodded,

"It's one of the reasons yes. The discs in that area have actually deteriorated to some degree. That area doesn't just experience stress, it can get down right painful sometimes. My job also tends to put a lot of stress on that area since I'm sitting at a desk all day. We did get new desks that are convertible so we can raise the height and stand for a while but that still doesn't always help. I often go for walks when I get stuck on a problem, it helps release that stress so I can refocus on my work." Holly looked slightly worried but he knew she was always worried when it came to his injuries.

"Does it cause you a lot of pain?"

"Not a ton, it's pretty sporadic on when it acts up actually. It's just when it decides to act up it can get pretty bad."

"You should rest then."

"Resting makes it worse actually. The only way to relieve it is through working the area either with exercises or a massage. Though I have tried a couple of medical procedures they never seemed to have any lasting effects."

"What were those?" Granity asked wondering if she could help him.

"Acupressure and acupuncture. They are both well known in my country for relieving pain, though they aren't for the faint of heart." he chuckled, as Granity gave him a look of intrigue.

"What do you mean?" Holly probed, she seemed every interested in learning new things.

"Acupressure is basically using pressure points within the body to relieve stress. It can be… painful when they first start depending on how bad things are. In my case it was bad enough that my vision dimmed during it, though it did help it was far too… painful for me to want to try that again. Acupuncture is similar though it uses special needles that are inserted to relieve tension. A lot of people get very nervous about getting those put into them around their spine. It seemed to help some for me but not enough for me to continue using it." Both women shared a look of uncertainty,

"Are they both safe to use?"

"They are yes, and work very well for certain problems but not for everything. In my case the damage responds better to stimulation through massage therapy and exercise."

"You don't get massages, do you?"

"I haven't done so in a while Granity… due to complications with my anxiety." Holly decided to use the opening to probe a bit more.

"You mean because of your sensitivity?"

"Yes… it makes things difficult…"

"I would assume it makes some things feel extremely good and others really bad?" He could see what she was angling towards.

"Yes, release of stress feels incredibly good leading to some… embarrassing moments for me. I haven't felt like going after getting laughed at the last time." He averted his gaze while blushing, deciding that his tea needed his focus. Holly's gaze softened as she realized that he had little control over such things. Gently she rested her hand on his arm causing his gaze to meet hers again.

"It's alright, I'm glad that at least something still feels good to you… I was afraid everything became painful while you were that sensitive." She smiled gently to him, "you don't have to worry about me judging you for that Genki." She could see his surprise, he sighed then nodded.

"Thank you… I was a bit worried…"

"Why?" He sighed,

"I know you think I'm weird after all the BDSM stuff among other things. I didn't want to add to that weirdness with my moaning…" She looked confused, * _is he… insecure? That doesn't seem right… Unless…_ *

"Genki I thought you told Thomas that you don't care what others think of you?" He sighed again as he mulled over how to explain.

"Normally I don't care… this is a bit different." He paused a moment before continuing, "In this case… I didn't want to overload you with new things all at once. I mean… I was never planning on tell you everything all at the same time. I wanted to give you time to understand each thing before moving to the next. It didn't work out the way I had planned but that doesn't mean that I still didn't need to pace things out a bit." He glanced her way; still seeing confusion on her eyes he spoke once more, "Sometimes overwhelming someone can cause misunderstanding that wouldn't happen normally. I was trying to avoid such misunderstandings between us." It took a moment before he saw her smile, she reached out and gentle placed her hand on his cheek catching him off guard.

"Genki… I know you were embarrassed it's alright. I'm not going to judge you for how you are. Yes, I am a little confused by everything but I'm not overwhelmed. You are different from how I remember you but that's to be expected. We stopped talking about things, so now we both have to learn about each other once more. Don't be afraid to tell me things… you aren't going to scare me off I promise." She spoke softly to him as her thumb caressed his cheek. She could see his relief as she accepted this weird side of him. * _He is only worried because he loves me… that's what he really meant to say. What I think of him matters… he's less concerned about others. _* She smiled to him and gently rested her forehead against his,

"Thank you, Holly...I'm glad you are OK with everything you've learned so far."

"I like learning these things Genki, I want to know you better again." Genki let her be affectionate with him, his hand moving to her side. Granity watched them silently, she wouldn't interfere; this was too important for them. * _I'm glad he's relaxing a bit, after all they need to learn to trust one another again._ * After a few minutes Holly withdrew to look into his eyes, she could see he felt better even if the vision was still haunting him. She knew it would be awhile before he felt completely relaxed with her but for now this was a good start. She smiled gently to him before asking a new question,

"Genki would it be alright if we spent some time together during your week off? I'd like to learn more about your world." He seemed slightly surprised by the request but he soon smiled,

"I don't see that being an issue. What about your chores though?"

"I think I can get most of them done early and see if someone will cover for me on the ones I can't. I know my father will cook for the guys." He nodded his understanding as she gently guided him to lean against her. He did so relaxing physically as she took his hand, interlacing their fingers as she provided comfort for him. After a few more minutes Granity broached the topic of sleep again.

"Genki, you really should try to rest. Even if you don't fall asleep it would still help you to rest." Granity took his other hand as she spoke softly to him. His eyes shifted to her for a moment,

"I can try… I doubt I'll get any sleep though. This isn't something that will just… go away if I don't think about it."

"I know that… perhaps I can take your mind off of it?"

"If you are offering what I think you are I don't see that being… possible right now. I told you before that when my disorders act up I don't have any desire for such activities." *_ Though logically a good sexual experience could replace this bad vision it won't change how I am feeling… The only thing it might help with is the loneliness. _*

"Genki… do your disorders affect your sex drive?" Holly probed gently a slight blush on her face, she knew he hadn't told her everything yet. In fact, she was betting he was still hiding some things, afraid to talk to her about them.

"Yes, they do affect it. It's hard for me to get aroused when they are acting up. If I take my medication, then that becomes impossible for me, another side effect of the meds unfortunately."

"Is it possible for you to get aroused at all when your disorders are acting up?"

"Yes… but it takes a lot to get me there." He could see Granity was plotting something,

"Would you let me try to pleasure you?" Granity asked, she was being blunt again something Genki was getting used to. He was silent a moment,

"Are you certain you are ready for such things? We only started our bond a week ago." Genki's voice was soft and challenging something Holly hadn't expected. She had thought they would be intimate by now but it seemed that was not the case. * _Is he resisting or does he think that things are moving too fast? Granity and I… were lovers fairly quickly yet he seems to not desire such a relationship. _* Holly hadn't realized how well Genki controlled himself until now. * _Though honestly if I had witness or felt a rape I wouldn't want to have sex either._ * Granity seemed surprised by his challenge but merely smirked at him,

"Genki I know what I am and am not ready for, I wouldn't have offered if this was going to bother me." He was silent again for a moment,

"I'm just concerned with the speed is all, it feels like we are moving a bit fast to me." He closed his eyes as he thought things over. * _Perhaps monsters move faster at this… I really need more knowledge of such things. Still it feels wrong… she was abused and yet everything seems to lead to sex with her… is she reclaiming her sexuality from him by choosing to have sex? Is that how she is choosing to heal?_ * His mind tried to work through it, though it seemed counterproductive to him it seemed to be the answer. * _Perhaps I should ask… I don't know how women feel about such things. Or if that is what she is doing…_ * It took Granity a moment to respond, she was trying to find the words to explain things to him.

"Genki I would assume you know little about monster mating habits."

"I don't know much no. It's not something I ever looked into."

"Monsters move much faster than humans, we don't have issues with mating early on in our relationships. It comes naturally for us, generally we understand that about each other. I suppose I should have made sure you understood that before asking you to do such a thing."

"I can understand that I guess… but that doesn't explain why you… suddenly want it with me now. I would have thought your prior experiences would have slowed that process down, making mating a little harder for you." She chuckled at him making him stare at her in confusion,

"Normally you'd be right… and at first I was scared of such a union. When we first started bonding and sharing gentle touches I was too afraid to mate with you. However, as our bond grew that fear faded, I trust you Genki and I want to finish our bond. You feel it already, it's strong between us now and I know that you are still a little uncertain of things. I should have realized there was a reason behind your resistance especially since you have been very sexually active in the past. I know you aren't shy when it comes to that, I should have asked what was going on." Holly noticed he seemed deep in thought again, she would let them settle this but she would provide some comfort to him. She gently rested her head against his, her hand giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. * _Perhaps she is misunderstanding him, he isn't shy no but he is cautious. He said he'd have to make an exception for her… it's obvious he doesn't usually sleep with those he doesn't love. In this case the love is different, it's not what he is used to and I think it's making him hold back. He does love her and care for her but he's uncertain of it. His bond with Mocchi was platonic; this one is not. I think he's not ready to for this step due to his emotional state._ * as Holly finished her thought Genki finally replied deciding to just bluntly ask Granity what she was doing,

"Granity, are you healing by reclaiming your sexuality from him by choosing to have sex?" His eyes connected with a very caught off guard pixie, he could see by the look in her eyes that he had hit the nail on the head. *_ So that __**is**__ what she is doing… _* He waited for her to tell him verbally but he knew the answer now. Holly was absolutely shocked by his question, she had never heard him so bluntly ask something like that. * _Did he decided to be blunt because she always is? Moreover, is he right in his assessment? I never really thought about why she would be eager to have sex. _* It took Granity a moment to recover, a small smile played upon her lips as she spoke.

"I should have known you'd figure it out. Yes, Genki that is what I am doing… I don't want this to control me anymore. I already tried to abstain from sex, avoid it in an attempt to heal. That didn't work so I'm trying this method now." Genki didn't respond right away but then finally nodded his understanding,

"I understand…" He seemed to hesitate a moment, "If you want to try to pleasure me then you can but I can't guarantee that it will work with how I feel right now." He glanced over at her to make sure she understood him, he saw her nod.

"I know you might not get aroused, that's alright. As long as I make you feel good that's all that matters. Besides you seem lonely again… I want to fix that." He sighed, he knew she had felt it through their bond. He nodded,

"I do feel lonely again yes… that you may be able to help with."

"You wanted me at your side tonight, didn't you?"

"I did but I wasn't going to disturb the two of you over that. Especially since I was feeling… extremely emotional when I arrived home. I tend to get… moody with people when I'm like that." He took a sip of his cooling tea, he knew she would fuss over his unwillingness to wake her. It wouldn't change his mind on the matter. The last thing he wanted to do is wake them up to just be snippy with them due to his emotional state.

"Do you know why you were emotional?"

"Not really… it's something that happens from time to time. I tend to be short with people when I'm like that, I don't like being that way with others so I stay off by myself till that passes."

"You don't think it could be because of your pain, do you?" He locked eyes with Granity upon hearing her question.

"I honestly don't know Granity… it could be because of anything at this point. I don't understand everything I experience but the mood did precede my vision so perhaps it was something to do with that." He shrugged,

"Has it happened before when you had a vision."

"Once yes, but I don't remember if it did with the others. The last vision was very emotional and traumatic as well. It is possible that I'm sensing it just before it occurs but I don't know for certain."

"What was the last one?" Genki could feel Holly squeeze his hand in an attempt to help him.

"I saw someone being murdered… well felt it really." He sighed, "I did some research and found out it… was very accurate. I was going to speak to the authorizes about what I witnessed but there was no need. They caught he guy responsible without my help."

"Did you know them?" Holly asked softly, he shook his head.

"No, I had never met them." Genki could see she was concerned, "If I had been able to control my ability… I was planning on helping people with it."

"Wouldn't that make things worse for you though?"

"Maybe, maybe not. If I can help someone it usually helps me as well. It's part of how I deal with things. Sure, the events are intense but if I don't know the person directly they usually don't affect me very long. I'm able to deal with them far easier if they are just strangers." The ladies shared a glance before Granity decided to try pushing him into sleep again.

"I think I understand…" She waited a moment before speaking again, "Genki we should see if you can rest, it's very late. I don't want you to be exhausted before you have to deal with a certain eye stalk. Especially since he's libel to throw out accusations as you grill him."

"I wasn't planning on grilling him, more mentoring him but I would like to know what he has been saying that has you flustered." He raised a brow, Holly sighed now making him glance her way.

"Let me re-wrap your arm and I'll tell you what he has been saying." Genki nodded and let her do so, his bandage was coming undone despite his best efforts. As she worked on his bandage she began to speak, "The other day he accused you of watching Akame and Mai be intimate, saying you get a good show. He also accused Granity of being a whore, sleeping around with just about anyone. He has been throwing insults at me as well in passing. The others seem to be upset over his accusations but aren't willing to do anything at this point." He was silent a moment before sighing,

"He's scared and he's lashing out…"

"Is that what you call that?" Granity gave him a skeptical look,

"Fear makes us do irrational things. He's not thinking clearly at this point. I will do what I can to calm him back down… just ignore his jabs for now."

"I'll try… it's hard when he's throwing things out there like my sex life with Granity though. At this point the others think he is just jealous… they don't realize it's the truth." Genki could see fear in her eyes, he knew she was too afraid to tell the others the truth.

"I will get him to stop I promise. We will solve this, I won't leave it without a resolution." Genki sighed, "Can you hang on till we talk to him? Or is the bond too far gone?" he looked very concerned,

"I'm not sure he can change… he has always wanted a physical bond with his trainer. He said it was a dream of his." Genki was silent a minute,

"You didn't answer my question, is the bond too far gone?"

"No… it can be salvaged… but I don't think he can do it." He nodded,

"Has he always had that dream? To be that close to his trainer or is it just because it's you?"

"A little of both… he lusts after me… he has since I was a teenager. But he mentioned his dream shortly after he was unlocked, stating he wanted to physically bond with a trainer."

"Did he say with a trainer or with you specifically?" Holly stopped, she suddenly realized what he was asking. Thinking back, she gasped,

"He just said with a trainer… I'm not sure why he would…"

"Holly has he ever shown interest in having a second trainer?"

"Yes… but he only said it once. After our village was gone it never came up again… neither did his dream."

"There may have been someone in your village he was considering…"

"You may be right… he refocused on me because we were the only survivors." Genki seemed to be thinking for a moment,

"There may be an easier way to solve this… it all depends on how he reacts tomorrow. We will have to see how bad things have really gotten before I can say for sure. Right now, just try to relax and make sure you are ready for what's to come. It might get ugly for a bit before we break through his walls." He saw her nod, "Pop back over beforehand so you won't feel so… embarrassed during the discussion." He saw her nod again blushing slightly at the implication, "I will try to rest but I will be awake for our discussion even if I have to binge on some coffee." Holly gave him a gentle hug before standing, he rose as well smiling.

* * *

He walked to where he had placed her dagger and retrieved it. He presented it to her as she got ready to return home, she looked at him in confusion at the leather wrapped item. Granity in the meantime was calling Tiger to get Holly an escort.

"What's this?"

"Akame dropped this off to me earlier. She finished it yesterday, after dealing with a forge issue earlier this week." Holly took the item and began to unwrap it. She gasped at how simple yet beautiful it looked. Her dagger was exactly the shape she wanted but the details are what surprised her. Genki had told Akame of both the phoenix and magic stone. Those two elements had been incorporated into the scabbard and hilt of the blade. A beautiful tear drop shaped, emerald green gemstone cab was embedded in the center of the hilt on each side of the blade, the pommel had a round cab to match; the scabbard also had a tear drop on each side. A golden phoenix was engraved into the ebony scabbard and blackened steel guard of the dagger, with a beautiful black and burgundy ray skin covering the handle. Holly drew the blade to see a beautiful raindrop pattern on the Damascus blade. Granity was looking very impressed from where she was, *_ He definitely told Akame to add those details. It's stunning, I feel a little jealous but this is his way of telling her he still loves her. _* Holly's eyes shown with wonder and warmth,

"This is amazing… it's perfect. You told her to add these details, didn't you?"

"Yes, I wanted it to be special."

"This must have cost a lot Genki…"

"The cost is not an issue. This is my gift to you since I missed your birthday earlier this year." Holly's eyes widened,

"Genki, you didn't have to do this, I understood you had to work. I didn't want you to feel guilty." He shook his head,

"I should have been there regardless. I could have taken time off had I not forgotten. This is my way of making it up to you." He could see in her eyes it meant a lot to her that he was being this thoughtful, he soon found himself in another hug. He returned it, enjoying their closeness. Despite his fear and pain, he had always enjoyed her company, always liked holding her. After she pulled back she placed her new dagger down for a moment, removing his grandfather's dagger from her belt she gave it back to him. He smiled to her as he took it, he would put it back in its rightful place soon. For now, he held it as she put her new dagger in the frog on her belt. With it hung properly she smiled to him again and he nodded, he took a moment to go return his grandfather's blade to the library. When he returned he saw Granity smirking at him, he just smiled in return.

"I will be back later… I'll need to spend some time with you" She glanced to the pixie breed who nodded, "Genki… let her help you. You need it after what you saw, I know it's haunting you." He looked unsure of how she knew that,

"I will don't worry. I will see you in a little while." She nodded then smiled to him.

"Head upstairs, I'll be up after I send her home." Granity spoke softly, he could see a mischievous look in her eyes and wondered what she was thinking. He obeyed as she and Holly walked into the office.

* * *

Genki sighed as he sat on the bed, part of him still thought it was too early for this kind of thing but he understood this was something Granity needed. * _Well she will have to be dominant for a while… till I feel she is ready for more. I only hope this will actually help her heal… I mean she was put through a lot when she was young. _* he glanced at the clock and realized he'd likely have only a few hours of sleep at the most. Shrugging it off he then began to think about his own feelings, * _Am I really ready for this type of relationship? It feels so… strange to be doing this… like I'm doing something wrong yet… I know what I'm doing is OK according to both Granity and Holly. Perhaps I just no longer have any desire for sex… after all that activity with Akame. I can't let that stop me from helping Granity… besides I really could use some release myself… if I can get it anyway. I seriously doubt she will arouse me without using her allure… wait I never asked about that did I?_ * as he mulled this over Granity walked into his room, she closed the door quietly and came over to sit next to him. She noticed his expression and knew he was deep in thought. Gently she began to touch him making him sigh softly at the contact.

"What's bothering you?"

"I was just thinking over some things for later. Though something did occur to me that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"How does a pixie's allure work? Is it something you control consciously?" He could see she hadn't expected this question, soon she smiled gently to him.

"Yes, it is something I can control. My allure basically seduces people, making them do my bidding even against their will. You could say it's a type of mind control."

"Does it arouse them though?"

"It can yes… are you thinking of having me use it? Or are you worried that I will?"

"I was thinking we could use it actually. If it would help with my arousal then we could give that a try."

"I'd rather try to do that without using my allure… I don't want to force you Genki. You didn't say it but I get the impression you aren't ready for this… despite what you have been claiming." She saw his eyes shift to her just then,

"I won't lie, a part of me is not… I was mulling over that as well. I'm… not really sure why I feel that way for certain. My best guess is that because I have only allowed myself to make love to those I was intending to marry later… it's causing me to feel uncertain and unready for this step. I've never had sex outside of that purpose even when I really wanted it. It's been one of the standards I've always held myself to." He glanced away for a moment to find his words, "I think that once we get going I will be alright, I just need a little push is all. I trust you Granity, I want to complete our bond just as much as you do." his eyes connected with hers again, he could see her searching his for answers.

"You're certain this is what you want? That you can handle this?" She seemed uncertain now, * _I hadn't realized that perhaps he wasn't ready… He was hiding that by masking it with concern for me. Was he embarrassed? Or perhaps he didn't even realize until now what he was doing. I can't use my allure… it would be far too intense and invasive for him at this point. I never imagined that he… held himself to such a high standard despite his sexual activity. Perhaps that is something I need to explore more to understand him fully. _*

"Yes, I'm certain. It's not that I don't want to make love to you Granity, I do. Things are just complicated with my emotions right now. I need to let go again, I want…. No, I need you to do this." His eyes showed her what he truly needed and she smiled understanding him now.

"Alright, thank you for being honest with me." He smiled,

"I will never lie to you Granity. I have no reason to lie." She embraced him for a moment before leaning forward to whisper, "Strip down to your boxers for me." Genki nodded and stood to comply with her request. While he did so, Granity turned down the covers of the bed so they would be out of the way. She would go slow with him, let him show her he was alright with things before they got into anything major. Tonight, would be about him anyway, she wanted to help him relax and unwind. * _I can only hope I can get him aroused so he can feel some release. With the way he is feeling that may be difficult… _* After he was in his skivvies he slipped into bed with her, she smiled and gently began to caress his chest.

"If you want me to stop then tell me Genki…" He nodded his understanding, she learned forward pressing her lips to his. He relaxed under her touch, as she continued to caress his upper body. Her hand moving to touch him sensually, using the areas she knew were erotic for him. Soon he was moaning, their kiss becoming more heated. When she broke the kiss they were both panting, her hand softly caressing his abdomen watching him shutter and moan under her touch. After she was sure he was relaxed, she moved and took one of his nipples into her mouth, sucking gently on it, teasing it with her tongue and teeth. Her hand slowly moved down to his hips and thighs, caressing him carefully. She felt him tense briefly then moan as she continued her ministrations. After a little while longer she moved to kiss him again, his mouth eagerly met hers as her hand moved over his groin; caressing him through his boxers. She felt his body respond and shutter again, she could tell he was starting to get aroused. *_ It might take more than a hand job to get him erect. I'm not sure what he will allow me to do, I will have to play it by ear I guess. Though I doubt he'd turn down anything like Holly has done. Still I don't want to force him, not after what he saw tonight. _* After a few more minutes she felt him relax fully under her touch, she waited a little longer letting him get used to the sensations before she gently slipped her hand into his boxers. His reaction was immediate, he moaned loudly as his body tensed for a moment. She broke their kiss and whispered, "Does this feel good?" He shuttered again as her fingers moved over and around his member. It took a moment for him to find his voice,

"Yes… it's just a bit intense…"

"Do you want me to stop?" He moaned again briefly before he answered,

"No… just give me time to get used to what I'm feeling…" She smiled, kissing his neck she continued to caress him, she could feel he was about half hard right now. * _I wonder if the intensity affects how well he can get it up? If it's overwhelming I would imagine it'd be hard for him._ * She waited awhile before making her next move, she gently took hold of his boxers and pulled on them. He understood and lifted his hips so she could remove them. And blush covered his face as he moaned again, she was now able to target specific parts of him easier with the last obstacle gone. Granity moved to kiss him once more as she continued to work his member, she felt it responding slowly but it seemed to reach a point where it couldn't fully get erect despite the stimulation. Deciding he needed something more she broke the kiss again, slowly she kissed down his body. Taking time to play with his nipples again along the way. He understood before she reached her destination what she was planning. Soon a very loud moan escaped him as he felt her trying her new tactic. Despite what he had thought beforehand, he felt himself become fully aroused by what she was doing. The feeling of her mouth around him and the sight of her going down on him was enough to bring him close to the edge, far closer than he had gotten in a long time. When her hand joined her mouth in working his body it was the push he needed, crying out her name he felt the release he had wanted to feel for weeks; his body continued to spasm for a few minutes after she had finished. She moved up to hold him as he came down off his high, he held her close just trying catch his breath. * _I have never felt anything that intense… how was she able to do that?_ * he decided against asking, since he didn't want to spoil the mood. All of the tension he had felt prior was gone, his body fully relaxed after such a powerful experience. After a few minutes he managed to speak to her,

"That was amazing Granity… thank you, I feel much better." She smiled, kissing him gently for a moment before responding.

"I'm glad I could help. You haven't managed to masturbate in a while have you?"

"Successfully? No, though I have tried to do so. It's been quite a while since my last release." He felt her nuzzle into him,

"I thought as much. I will be happy to do that any time Genki, just let me know when you need it." He smiled gently,

"Don't think this is one sided, I would be happy to return the favor. I know that must have aroused you." His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke to her. He would let her decide if he was allowed to touch her that way yet. He heard her chuckle,

"I am aroused yes; can you manage to stay awake that long?"

"I can, will you let me pleasure you in return?" He saw her pull back to meet his gaze, she smiled and nodded.

"Yes, just be gentle." He smiled and leaned forward to whisper,

"I will always be gentle when we make love." He felt her shiver as he moved his hand over her side, soon his hand moved to her belly. Her flesh shuttered and a moan escaped her as he touched her, "If you change your mind you can stop me at any time." he whispered as his hand played along the edge of her bust, not yet touching her there. He felt her shiver in delight again before her soft voice reached his ears once more.

"I won't change my mind… I want this Genki." He smiled as he leaned in to kiss her, she met him eagerly as his hand moved over her impressive bust. A moan escaped her as he began to caress and massage her there. Waiting for her to relax into the sensation before he moved his hand under her top, his hand gently continuing to massage her wondrous full flesh. Her moans became louder as she deepened the kiss, her tongue entering his mouth. Genki would take it slow just to make sure she was alright with proceedings. His finger and thumb found her nipple and began to play with it as his other hand slipped under her top. After a few moments of intense kissing they parted, panting heavily. His voice softly came to her ears,

"May I?" she smiled and nodded, "Clasp is in the back, right?"

"Yes, two of them. Back of the neck and middle of my back." He nodded, briefly removing his hands to undo the clasps. With her halter like top free, he pulled it away revealing her upper body to him. Instead of staring though he leaned in to kiss her again, his hand gently caressing over her belly and chest before he went back to massaging her. His reactions to her were far different from what she was expecting. * _I'm surprised he didn't look me over, even Holly did that the first time she removed my top. He's so different than I expected, very respectful and focused._ * a moan escaped her as his fingers toyed with her nipple again. * _This feels amazing and we only just started… I guess all that experience really pays off. _* He broke the kiss softly and kissed down her neck, slowly making his way to her chest. Soon she felt him take her nipple into his mouth and apply gentle suction as he pleasured her. His hand still working her other mound, teasing its peak from time to time while he massaged her. He switched sides after a while, giving each side some stimulation. Her moans told him she enjoyed every bit of what he was doing. Soon his hand wandered over her belly moving to her side then down to her hips and thighs. He kept a slow pace to allow her time to adjust to what he was doing, and time for her to protest if she decided she couldn't do this. When he felt her fully relax into his touch he carefully moved his fingers up her inner thigh. Using just his finger tips to caress her there, he felt her body tense and shutter under his touch. He knew this area would be sensitive and sensual for her, it was for all women. After he was certain she was comfortable he moved his hand to the juncture between her legs, tracing over her bikini bottom. He heard her gasp and then moan as he did so, he moved up from her chest to kiss her once more. Her hand came to his jaw to hold him there as they made out. After a little while his hand made its way inside the last article of clothing, his fingers caressing over her. Her moan was loud as she broke the kiss to catch her breath, her body shivering in response. He rested his forehead against hers as he continued to touch her; whispering to her softly,

"Are you enjoying this?" He wanted to make sure that she truly wanted this, just as she had done for him. He knew by how her body was reacting that she was feeling pleasure from it physically. She panted and moaned again before responding,

"Very much so…" He smiled as his lips found hers again, she eagerly kissed him in return as his fingers moved with purpose, she moaned into the kiss then deepened it once more. Their tongues danced as he gently tugged on her bikini bottom, she easily let it slip off of her. His fingers found their way back to her soaking wet core, delving within to pleasure her more. He easily found her hidden gem and the nerve bundle within her. She broke the kiss panting and moaning loudly as he kissed his way down her body once more. Stopping to play with her breasts before descending further. Granity showed no signs of wanting him to stop so he took it as a sign that she was truly ready for this. Soon his mouth replaced his hand, Granity arched her back as she felt the pleasure he had in store for her. She was getting close to her climax now, her breathing telling him as much. Soon his fingers entered her once more as his tongue teased her sensitive bud. It was all she needed to be brought over the edge. He felt her body tense up as she loudly moaned his name, her legs shaking slightly from the intensity. When she relaxed again, he moved back to the side to hold her gently. Granity leaned into him panting, her body still coming down off of it's high. * _Oh, Phoenix that was intense… I haven't had an orgasm like that in a long time. _* it took her a moment to recover, in the meantime Genki pulled the covers over them both just holding her close.

"Thank you… that was the best orgasm I've had in a long time." Her voice was soft but he heard it, he was a bit surprised by her statement but decided to ask about it later. * _What does Holly not get her off or something?_ *

"I'm glad I could please you so well."

"Genki… can we talk about some intimate things after you are done with Suezo?"

"Sure, I don't see that being a problem." He felt her snuggle with him, a smile spreading across his lips. He could see her in the moonlight that was shiny through the window. She too was smiling,

"Thanks… lets rest. You need some sleep." He chuckled, before tenderly kissing her. He then settled in to try and get some rest, he noticed she was already asleep. * _Between Holly and I we must have worn her out… perhaps we do need to talk a bit. We need to discuss how we want to proceed from here. I know she wants me to make love to her but not how she would like that to happen._ * He decided it could wait and closed his eyes to let himself drift off again as well, his vision forgotten for now.

* * *

_**Meanwhile**_

Holly had returned to find Tiger waiting, he was always a reliable escort. He saw her dagger and smiled to her,

"So, you got your new blade huh? Looks like Genki made some modifications of his own." She nodded,

"He did yes. I wasn't expecting anything like this… it's beautiful. I can only imagine what he paid for this." Tiger chuckled,

"You know he doesn't care about the cost, he wants to make you happy. That has always been his focus." She looked over at her canine friend confused,

"What are you talking about?" He smiled to her,

"Even when we were journeying to fight Mu and find the Phoenix he wanted to make you happy. He went out of his way to do so on many occasions. He has always cared for you Holly, even if he never said anything back then." Holly seemed to be deep in thought for a bit before a soft smile appeared on her face.

"Thanks Tiger."

"For what?"

"Confirming something Granity told me. She said he always loved me and always would." He chuckled,

"She's not wrong. How are those two doing by the way?"

"If you mean their bond, they are doing well. It's almost fully formed now, she has been trying to understand him better by staying with him. Though somethings are still confusing for her, it seems to be working for them." He nodded,

"How is his brother?"

"Stable, though more happened then Genki originally thought."

"So, he knows why his brother tried to kill himself then?"

"Yes, he has done what he can to help him but as he said 'I can only do so much'."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Holly sighed, she knew the others were likely to ask as well. *_ He has never told me to keep it to myself but still…_ * She glanced over to see him worried,

"Let's wait till we get back, I'm sure the others will want to know as well… I don't feel like explaining it more than once." He could tell it must have been something bad by her reaction. He nodded before asking his next question,

"Is Genki holding up alright?" She had mentioned his attack earlier in the week when they were alone gathering herbs.

"Sort of, he seemed OK until he had… night terror. Whatever he witnessed was really bad. Granity was trying to get him to go back to sleep when I left. I'm sure she will stay with him, whatever he saw… was defiantly haunting him." Tiger wasn't sure what to think now, but he had only one concern.

"He won't relapse, will he?"

"No, he seemed alright when I left. I didn't sense anything like that from him while I was connected to him briefly. Granity will watch over him I'm sure." He nodded, they arrived back at the house.

Holly entered and found the others discussing their supplies at the table. Holly's father immediately noticed her dagger, his brow raising in inquiry seeing how ornate it was. He knew his daughter hadn't ordered it like that. Hare was the first to ask about it though, his eyes trained on the beautiful blade.

"Holly, is that your new dagger?" Holly nodded to the rabbit monster,

"It is, Genki received it today." Holly removed it from her belt to let the others see it.

"You didn't order it this way, did you?"

"No, Genki apparently told Akame to add those details to it." Hare drew the blade and looked at it in awe, he had never seen a pattern in a steel blade before.

"Wow… this is amazing. I wasn't aware you could do that to steel."

"Neither was I until I saw it." Her father decided to ask something now,

"Did he tell you how much it was?" She shook her head,

"He said it was a gift, that he wanted to make up for the fact that he missed my birthday this year." The others all stared at her now. Her father smiled at this, * _So he still loves her… I thought as much. I just hope they can learn to trust each other again._ *

"That would explain the extras he added. He must really care about you to do such a thing." Holly met his gaze for a moment, after a moment she nodded.

"He does yes."

"I'm so jealous! You two have something really special." Colt blurted out making Holly blush slightly and smile. Colt pouted off to the side while the others sweat dropped.

"Have you two spoken?" Her father asked after the outburst.

"Not yet… Things just got settled with his brother this week and he had to deal with his sister."

"How is his brother?" Hare asked, he was now curious as to what happened.

"He is stable, apparently recovering just fine. Genki got him a friend to talk to, it seems to have helped. Genki has done all he can for him at this point."

"Did he find out why he tried to take his own life?" Her father probed gently, she nodded.

"Yes, he did though it wasn't what he was expecting." She could see they were all curious, even Colt who had only just learned of what had happened. "This stays in this house." She saw them all nod, she then continued. "His brother was badly beaten and raped." They all looked shocked, Colt was the first to recover enough to respond,

"I didn't think guys could be raped…"

"They can… in his case it was anal… they actually damaged some of his internal organs. Genki suspects the culprits were using objects to do so."

"Did they catch them?" Tiger asked growling slightly,

"Yes, they have been arrested and are awaiting trial." She could see this was difficult for them, "From what I know, his brothers' injuries were able to be repaired and he's healing well."

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" Colt asked, "I mean… what did they have to gain? Or did they just hate his brother for some reason?" Holly sighed as she mulled over how to tell them,

"From what Genki was able to find out, the guys that did this did indeed hate his brother. I guess they felt threatened by Kai in some way, even though he would never hurt anyone."

"So… his brother Kai was targeted by them over this?"

"Yes… apparently these men were a part of a small minority group that has issues with anyone different from them. Genki said they usually are just loud about their protests, they don't normally resort to criminal behavior." Yosho knew his daughter was dancing around something, her wording was far too careful.

"Kai was different from them how? What would cause such hatred?" He could see she was carefully choosing her words,

"His brother is gay, apparently these men took issue with that. Even though Kai hadn't even done anything at the time. He's very shy and hadn't even tried to date at all." She could see her father was thinking things over. Holly knew he disliked same sex relationships, he saw them as morally wrong; But he would never try to harm or kill someone over it.

"Didn't you say it was normal there?"

"It is, but there are apparently small groups that don't agree with it. They a very vocal about their disdain but usually don't harm others. In this case the men wanted to kill Kai, just for being gay. I'm pretty sure Genki would have killed those men if he could without going to jail, he was quite… angry with their behavior." Yosho looked like he was mulling this over as Colt decided to ask a question,

"Does Genki care that his brother is gay?"

"No, he said he knew long ago he was, before he even admitted it. He saw the signs as they were growing up."

"What signs?" Colt was defiantly curious,

"His mannerisms were different apparently, the type of porn he looked at, that type of thing."

"How does he know what porn his brother was looking at?"

"He apparently walked in on him… they created a way for that not to happen again after that accident."

"Has Genki looked at porn?" Holly gave her a look that said 'why do you need to know that?' before shrugging.

"He never said anything though I would assume so at some point." Holly wasn't discussing such things with them, that was not something they needed to know and not from her.

"Told you he was a pervert…" Suezo mumbled making Holly glare at him.

"Suezo…. What did I say about accusations?"

"Oh, like you have room to talk! You and Granity are just as bad! You're probably making all those visits just to…"

"ENOUGH!" Holly yelled at the eye stalk, his eye widened as he realized his error. Holly got her anger under control as the others glanced to one another uncertain of what to do. Holly almost never snapped at people, so they knew she had to be upset. "You and I will be dealing with this behavior this evening. Genki will be assisting both of us. I do not want to hear anymore accusations out of you tonight, do I make myself clear?! If you decide to keep this behavior up then I guess we are done and you can leave. I am not going to stand by and let you lash out at everyone like this." Suezo gulped and shrank back as Tiger came over and gently nuzzled Holly's side. Holly took a few moments to regain her composure. Yosho looked between the two quite unsure of what had just happened. * _Why is he been lashing out at them so much? He has always been annoying but not vindictive. He never tried to hurt Holly before. I hope they can settle this, it sounds like Holly is at her wits end with him. _* After Holly recovered she smile gently to Tiger in thanks, he was there helping her as much as he could lately. Tiger decided to change the topic, hoping for a better outcome.

"What about his sister?" Holly looked confused a moment before glancing over at the others,

"His sister is in jail... again… apparently she has a habit of getting in trouble. He got a call from her while I was over earlier this week."

"She wants him to bail her out or something?"

"Something like that, she wanted help actually. She was hauled in on a murder charge, she claims she didn't kill anyone. Genki seemed to believe her after finding out she was high on drugs. He hired someone to help her remove the murder charge, though he instructed them to let the drug charges remain. Said it might do her some go to be in jail for a while."

"Why'd he believe her about the murder charge?" Hare asked,

"Because of the drugs she was on. Apparently, he knows a bit about them; because of her condition at the time she wouldn't have been able to kill someone. He said later that he doubted she could even walk let alone have the coordination to stab someone."

"Does she do that a lot?"

"Unfortunately, yes. He said she has always been in trouble even when she was young."

"Does she have a disorder too?" Tiger inquired,

"Genki suspects she does, but she refuses to be tested for one. He seemed uncertain of what to do at this point."

"What about his folks?" Colt asked,

"They no longer assist her at this point, Genki is the only one who will even answer her calls. Deep down she is still his sister and he loves her, but he never agrees with her."

"Is she older then him?" Her father asked, Holly nodded.

"By a few years yes."

"Then I would suspect she isn't planning to have a family."

"He said he doubted she would ever settle down. She's not the type, and he wasn't sure he'd trust her with children." His brow raised at that comment but he said nothing further. Holly decided to leave out her sleeping around, she didn't want to deal with Suezo again right now. Mocchi had been quiet for most of the discussion, he was confused by some of what he heard but he understood things were hard for both his friends right now.

"Holly chi?"

"What is it Mocchi?" He looked a little tentative,

"Genki's brother and sister have disorders?"

"His brother is confirmed to have some yes, he only suspects his sister does due to her behavior." Mocchi met her gaze with his curious one,

"Genki doesn't have a disorder does he chi?" Holly's eyes widened at his question, everyone else looked shocked as well. Holly seemed uncertain of how to reply. * _Do I tell them? Or do I act like I don't know? This is not an easy thing and Genki isn't ready… I will have to lie for now… I hate it but I can't betray his trust again._ *

"Mocchi… that is something I can't answer. You would have to ask him that question." she would leave it at that, make is seem like she didn't know the answer. She had never imagined he would be the one asking about this though. * _I wonder if he senses something is wrong through his bond with Genki?_ * Hare bailed her out with his next words.

"Come on Mocchi, do you really think he could manage to hide something like that? It sounds like these disorders are noticeable. We'd know if he was having a problem."

"He's really sad chi…" the others looked around in confusion,

"What are you talking about?"

"I feel it chi…" he placed his hand on his chest over his heart.

"You mean through your bond Mocchi?" Holly asked, she saw the young monster nod. "He is sad yes, it has been a hard week for him. He will be alright though."

"Will you help him chi?"

"I will try, I can only do so when he lets me. Things are… rather complicated right now. We have a lot to work through." Holly wasn't sure about mentioning his vision to the others even if it would explain things. He had been hesitant to even say it to her and Granity and they knew all of his issues.

"Has he said anything about when you two will talk?" Hare inquired, he seemed worried. Holly nodded,

"After we have our… discussion with Suezo. He wanted to do that first, though he didn't say why specifically." Suezo looked confused now but decided to say nothing. He doubted Holly wanted to speak with him right now anyway. Yosho was trying to figure out the young mans motive for waiting as well. * _Perhaps there is something more going on with those two then I know of. I know she doesn't tell me things, even if I wish she would. Whatever it is maybe stressful for her and possibly Genki as well. That's the only thing I can think of as a reason behind his request._ *

"If you need to spend more time with him let me know, I can cover some of your chores while you do that." He said to his daughter who looked very surprised by the offer. She smiled,

"Thank you father… I would like that. Genki has some time off in another week. I would like to spend some time with him then. I doubt we can sort through everything in just one week, so I imagine we will need time then to talk things out as well." He nodded,

"I imagine it will be a slow process. I would like to talk with him tonight though. I have a few questions for him." Holly looked suspicious now,

"You aren't going to interrogate him are you?" He chuckled,

"No, I just wanted to ask a few things about his world is all. Things you may not have asked about at this point."

"I will let him know." Holly was still worried about what he wanted to talk to him about but would leave it be for now. She could always ask Genki later. Colt piped up now,

"Hey, did you pass on my question?"

"Yes, He said you can visit if you can behave. He also thinks Tiger should be safe for a visit as well." She glanced to Tiger with a smile,

"Sounds good, does he know what the portal will do though?"

"He thinks it it'll turn you into a human on the way through. That's what happened to Granity. He said worse case it will keep you at a canine form but lose all the monster traits."

"So it will transform me back on the my return trip?" He tilted his head,

"Yes, that's what Granity's experience has been." He nodded as Colt spoke up looking a little offended,

"What did he mean by 'If I can behave'?" Holly giggled at her before answering,

"I believe he means not hugging him to death or hitting on him." Colt went back to pouting muttering, "I'm not that bad", making the others laugh at her.

"So he doesn't mind us visiting?" Hare asked curiously,

"No, he said any of you can come over for a visit. He just wants to know ahead of time." Holly smiled to him before she glanced to the clock. "Were you all discussing our inventory for he winter?"

"Yeah, we have the list for medical supplies hammered out I think. We do need your input though, I don't know what you might need for births? I figured you'd know best since you have helped with so many." Hare confirmed then gave her a look of uncertainty.

"We only have two ladies who are expecting. So we shouldn't need a whole lot. Here let me look over what you have." He handed her the list and she took it. She knew she'd need to make lunch and get her chores done before evening so she could jump over briefly before her meeting with Suezo, it would be a long day. * _though it may be longer for Genki considering he won't get much sleep._ * She resolved to try and make their discussion with Suezo efficient as possible, she was worried about him.

* * *

Granity woke to the sound of Genki's alarm going off, she rolled over to shut it off. When she looked back she noticed he hadn't moved at all. Chuckling she gently shook him,

"Genki wake up, we need to get ready." He groaned, mumbling 'five more minutes' before trying to sleep again. Granity laughed at this, she knew he was tired but he needed to get up. She leaned over and captured his lips with her own. Slowly she kissed him, her hand caressing his cheek. She felt him respond back slowly, his own hand moving to hold her there. After a minute or so she parted from him, giving him a gentle knowing smile.

"So I have to wake you up like that huh?" She jokingly asked, poking him with her finger a little. He looked up at her groggily, a small smile appeared on his face as he responded.

"You don't have to but it is nice." She laughed at him and playfully swatted him on the chest,

"Get up mister, you have promises to keep." He sighed and nodded, but before she could pull away he grabbed her and kissed her once more. She hadn't expected him to do that but she welcomed it. After a few more minutes of heated kissing he pulled back, smiling at her.

"Now I can get up." was all he said leaving a very confused pixie in his wake as he rose to put some clothes on. She got a nice view as he did so, * _He's defiantly not shy… _* soon she joined him, finding her clothing on the floor nearby. She redressed, taking care to see if she needed to wash anything after dealing with Holly. She knew she would need a shower by then. "I'll give you something to wear later and we can wash your outfit then if you like?" Genki stated as if reading her mind.

"Can you wash it while I deal with Holly?" He nodded,

"Yes, I can. You want one of my shirts for use after you are done with Holly?" She nodded,

"I'll get you one. Just put your clothes outside the door."

"I don't care if you see me naked you know." He chuckled,

"I know, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have privacy if you want it." She smiled at this, he was being a gentleman.

"I know, I'm fine with you watching really…It's not like Holly hasn't seen me naked as well."

"I don't think Holly would do well with you naked and me there too. She would probably just about pass out from embarrassment." He quipped making her laugh,

"You maybe right." After dressing they went down stairs to eat something. Genki threw her outfit in the wash before he returned to help make breakfast. Granity noticed he needed a lot of coffee and realized he must be exhausted * _I really need to make sure he rests well tonight. It's not going to be an easy day for him._ * When Holly asked if they were up she chuckled, she knew by her tone Holly wanted to escape again. Holly had briefly told the others of Genki's wound needing extra attention, that it seemed to not be responding to the ointment he had. Golem had helped her gather herbs and she made a salve that she would put on his arm before he popped over. It was a good excuse for a quick visit.

"I hope you can get her off quickly, that excuse of hers won't work for a long visit." Granity glanced over at him with a raised brow,

"Are you doubting my prowess?" She smirked at him, he chuckled.

"I'm doubting Holly being able to relax. You know how she is when she is tense, she is liable to suppress her orgasm." Granity laughed and shook her head.

"Don't worry, I have my tricks to deal with that. I'll make sure she is relaxed for you and yes I can do it in a short time." Genki nodded, and went to throw her outfit in the dryer. Granity left to help Holly jump a crossed, meanwhile Genki got his medical kit out so they could quickly deal with his arm. He hoped it would take only a few minutes so Holly could have the rest of the time alone with Granity. Holly looked rather upset when she arrived, Genki raised a brow at this but didn't ask. She did a double take after seeing Granity in his shirt.

"Mine is being washed" Genki chuckled and corrected her.

"It's being dried now actually…" Holly shook her head and headed for the kitchen. He let her get to work on his arm, she noticed it was still oozing badly as she got to cleansing it. Granity looked concerned,

"Genki this looks really bad still."

"I plan on contacting my doctor on Monday. I'll have him take a look at it, he may figure out something else to use on it."

"This salve should help as well but you may need more than just a simple salve or ointment." Holly spoke softly. He nodded as he held back a whimper of pain, it was really sensitive and the abrasive cloth was not helping. After she finished cleaning it and patting it dry she waited a moment before applying the salve. She knew this had been very painful for him and wanted to give him time to recover. Soon the salve forced a hiss of pain out of him, it stung bad, Granity could feel it in his grip on her hand. She helped him through the pain as Holly wrapped his wound.

"Kami that smarts…" He commented as he tried to deal with it, *_ It must be infected_ * he decided as he waited for it to pass. Holly touched his shoulder gently hoping to help him. "I'll be fine Holly. Just go with Granity, you don't have much time unless you want to answer a lot of questions when you get back." The girls looked at each other then both nodded,

"You sure?"

"I'll be fine… I'll leave your outfit outside the door for you Granity. It should be done in a few minutes." The ladies nodded and headed downstairs, it was after they did they Genki hissed in pain again. "Damn this hurts bad…. I hope it stops before we get to the village…" Genki took his pain medication then settled down to read hoping it would take his mind off the pain. When the dryer finished he took Granity's outfit downstairs and placed it by the door. He briefly heard some load moans while he was there, he headed back upstairs quickly not wanting to disturb them. *_ I guess she can get her off quickly… well that's good. Still what did Granity mean by 'the best she's had in awhile' last night? Does Holly not get her off or not get her off very well? Maybe I will inquire about that later… she did want to have some intimate conversations after all._ * When the girls re-emerged, Granity was wearing her usually outfit and Holly looked a bit less tense. He saw them both get some water and sit down a moment. He noticed Granity seemed just as out of breath as Holly and gave her a look of inquiry. She smiled to him as Holly looked unsure of what to say,

"Why do you look like you ran a marathon?" Was all he asked,

"It was a mutual experience…" He barked a laugh then nodded going back to his book as they recovered. It took a few more minutes before they were no longer breathing hard, the pain in his arm had dulled but was still present. He hoped it would at least stay dulled so he could concentrate. When Holly rose Genki put his book down, they all went to the office and he opened the portal once more. Genki grabbed a messenger bag he had prepared before hopping though the portal.

* * *

Genki popped through first, both ladies following close behind. He saw Tiger waiting for them, he looked concerned.

"Sorry Tiger… that salve hurt more then expected… it took me a bit to recover." He would cover for the girls as he knew they didn't want the others knowing at this point.

"You sure you're OK Kid?"

"I'll be fine, I'll talk with my doctor when his office opens on Monday." Tiger nodded, then turned to lead them back.

"Holly did you mention Mocchi's question to him?" She shook her head,

"No I forgot."

"What are you talking about?" Genki looked between the two, Granity looked confused as well.

"Mocchi asked me last night is you had any disorders." Both Genki and Granity looked startled,

"Why would he ask that?"

"I told them about your brother and sister." Genki looked surprised then torn as to whether that was OK or not. Tiger noticed his mood change and looked uncertain what to do. * _So she never told him? Seriously this is not going to endear him to you…_ * he decided to rescue her a little hoping it would explain her reasoning to some degree.

"Genki… She ended up telling us because the others were pressing her after they found out what happened between you two. They wanted her to speak to you right away… she told us she couldn't not with everything going on with your brother. That it would be too much for you to deal with at the time." Genki seemed to think it over then sigh,

"I never told you not to say anything so that is my own fault… What did you say in response to Mocchi?"

"I told him that I couldn't answer that, he would have to ask you himself." Genki sighed, he did not want to deal with this right now. "He could sense something through your bond… that's why he asked." He looked unsure of how to deal with that. * _Why wait until now to ask? If he could feel it all along, why not ask when I was hurting the most?_ * Granity touched his shoulder gently, he glanced her way.

"The bond you have with him may only let him feel things at certain times. It might not happen all the time… I don't know how strong it truly is between you." The fact that she had answered his question made him raise a brow but he nodded.

"Are you a mind reader now?" She laughed at his quip,

"No more than you are with your comment this morning." He chuckled then nodded knowing what she meant. Holly and Tiger looked confused but shrugged it off after a moment, Genki looked back to Holly now.

"I will handle Mocchi… and the others if they ask." He saw her nod, he then looked to Tiger, "I assume she told you my other issues?" He nodded,

"Yes, though she hasn't talked to anyone else about them. You OK with me knowing?"

"It's fine… not like I didn't confess to you on my own. I don't mind you knowing."

"Genki… My father wants to speak with you after we finish with Suezo."

"Did he say why?"

"Only that he had some questions about your world." He nodded, * _Yeah right, he has questions alright but I doubt it's just about my world. Given Suezo's comments he might ask about my bedding his daughter. _* He sighed,

"As long as I'm still awake by then that shouldn't be an issue."

"Did you even get any sleep?" Holly looked worried,

"Some… not nearly enough though."

"Don't let a night terror get to you Kid. I'm sure you'll feel better tonight." Genki glanced to Holly who gave him a soft smile. *_So she didn't tell them about that huh? Interesting… _*

* * *

When they arrived they saw Colt running after Suezo with her zapper gun trying to hit him with it. The four all sweat dropped just watching,

"Do I even want to know what he did this time…?" Was all Genki said as he walked over to where the others were watching.

"What's with Colt?" Tiger probed as they watched the show before them.

"Oh Suezo stole her notebook then threw it on the roof… Golem retrieved it but she's out for blood it seems." Genki raised a brow, he glanced at Holly.

"Do me a favor, go look at that notebook."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Holly shrugged and did so, Granity heard Colt scream about him being a pervert then glanced to Genki.

"Not a notebook?"

"I don't think it is no." Holly looked quite flushed when she returned, she shook her head.

"Not a notebook, a dairy." Was all she said, Genki sighed and shook his head.

"So he's reading diaries now…" Holly flushed again, he chuckled. "I hope you hide yours Holly." He could see she was embarrassed, he then decided to end the issue. Walking over he manged to grab Colt and get her to shoot at a metal farm tool which then felt over and hit Suezo on the head stopping him dead in his tracks. He lay on the ground with a spiral in his eye as everyone else looked on in amazement, unsure of how he had timed that so perfectly. Colt was looking very confused, looking between her gun and where the knocked out monster was. She was about to protest when Genki went to grab him, he interrupted her calmly stating. "I need him alive, you can kill him later." Genki then walked over grabbed his tail and dragged him off. "Let's go Holly… he'll wake up shortly." Holly followed after him with a sigh as the others stood there completely unsure of what to do. Hare finally burst out laughing as the pair walked off towards the barn.

* * *

Genki sighed as he sat down in the barns storage room, it was a small walled off area that would provide some privacy for them. Holly closed the door as they waited for Suezo to wake up, Genki could see he still had stars in his eye.

"I never thought he'd read another persons diary…" she stated quietly, still blushing.

"I take it there was something that you read that turned you into a tomato?" She stared at him before nodding, "well just forget about it for now. Though I do hope he doesn't know where you keep yours…"

"If I know him he probably went looking for it…"

"I don't doubt that." He notice Suezo finally moving, he chuckled. "Did you finally wake up?" Suezo popped up and looked around frantically.

"What… where…"

"We managed to save you from Colt though she might kill you later. What made you think it was a good idea to read her diary?" Suezo's pupil got tiny as he stared at Genki, before he finally recovered enough to answer.

"I didn't know it was her diary… it looked like one of her notebooks…"

"You still read it." Now he was sputtering trying to come up with a rebuttal. Genki sighed, "Seriously, you should have threw it back at her the moment you realized what it was." he shook his head, "Regardless we have a few things to discuss I believe." He glanced at Holly who had calmed down now, she nodded. Suezo could see she was ready to talk though he wasn't sure if she was still mad at him from earlier or not. Suezo hopped over to crate and hopped up on it to take a seat. He was facing Holly who had a spot across the room from him. "Alright Suezo, I spoke with Holly earlier this week. She agreed to discuss things with you, though I heard you were being quite a pain earlier. Making accusations of sexual conduct for not only her but Granity and I as well." Suezo frowned, he nodded before speaking.

"Yeah… what of it? It's not really accusations if it's true…" Genki sighed seeing the eyeball already getting stubborn.

"Do you have any proof that any of these occurred?"

"I saw her and Granity."

"And the other stuff?"

"No… I don't have proof…"

"Then you can't know that it's true. And even if it is true, her sex life are none of your concern. The same goes for Granity and I. Seriously you are making things worse with these accusations." Suezo eyed him before sighing, "Moving on from that, I think you both need to talk and release this tension between you. It's only making things worse for everyone." Suezo could see Holly was still upset but she hadn't moved, which told him she would listen. Genki could see neither wanted to start, he rolled his eyes and decided to prompt them. "Suezo, when we spoke you said you could feel the bond between you weakening. Why don't you tell Holly why you have been lashing out all week?" Suezo eyed him a moment before sighing, he refused to look at Holly but he did start talking.

"I know you probably don't care now but I'm tried of being treated differently than the others… Your bond with Tiger and Granity is much strong then ours has ever been. Do you no longer want me?" Holly was surprised by his question, she felt slightly guilty that he now thought he was unwanted. She sighed then spoke softly,

"Suezo… it's hard for me to trust you right now. You have tried to grope me on numerous occasions even before Tiger and Granity chose me. You never let me decide what I want to do with my life, who I want to date, or even dance with. My bond with Tiger and Granity is stronger because they trust me to make my own decisions. The bond is about trust between us, of course it is weakening with the lack of trust we have. Of course I still want you, I would never kick you out Suezo. I'm just tried of you lashing out over jealousy. Why didn't you come to me and talk to me about this before?" Holly's voice was even but Genki could see the stress in her again.

"Oh like you would talk to me about this. You avoid any topic that makes you uncomfortable." He muttered making her raise a brow,

"I do not avoid topics just for the reason alone Suezo. You haven't even tried to talk to me about our bond in years. I always hear you out, no matter what topic it is." He sighed, he knew this was true.

"You told me you would never have sex with me… that we didn't need a physical bond like that and yet you did just that with Granity. Phoenix knows if you snuck off with Tiger as well…" His words caught her off guard, it took her a moment to reply as she tried to rein in her emotions.

"What happened with Granity was not intentional… it just sort of happened as we bonded. I'm not sure if it's because I felt… more comfortable with another woman or if it was due to her being a pixie. I didn't set out wanting that kind of bond with her, I only wanted a soul bond. I wanted to help her recover from her pain, something she can't do alone." She could see he was attentive even if his eye was elsewhere, "As for Tiger, our bond is not physical that way. I have never had sex with him and I doubt he is seeking that." Genki waited to see how Suezo would respond, he knew this was a sore spot for the eye ball monster, his pride had been injured.

"Yet I'm seeking it and you have denied me! It's because I'm a Suezo isn't it… you only fuck beautiful monsters, is that it?!" Suezo blurted out, his heart was aching hearing her confession. A few tears leaked out making Holly really consider her next words. * _I never meant to hurt him like this. _* though their bond had weakened she felt his pain. She sighed as she tried to find her words,

"Suezo… it's far more complicated than you just being a Suezo. You are not ugly so I'm not sure why you are always putting yourself down, you are just different."

"Then why?!" Genki moved now to help the sobbing eyeball, he had been waiting patiently but realized that Suezo was too emotional to really be listening right now. He soothed him gently something that surprised Holly, who had never seen Genki assist the eyeball monster before. After he calmed down a bit, he nodded to her to continue.

"There are two reasons." She looked to him to make sure he was listening, he was so she continued. "Firstly, you are a brother to me. I could never have sex with someone who I consider to be my sibling Suezo, emotionally it feels wrong for me."

"That's just an excuse…" he mumbled, Genki now intervened as Holly reigned herself in emotionally.

"Suezo would you have had sex with Pink Eye?" Suezo stared at him dumbfounded, when he finally recovered he shook his head no.

"No… she was my big sister…"

"You weren't related by blood, yet you felt that way. Now you know how Holly feels." He seemed to mull this over for a moment, he glanced back to Holly who spoke once more.

"The second reason is something I should have told you years ago. I was too embarrassed to talk about it at the time. Physically if we were to have such a union it would cause me a lot of pain, if not cause internal damage. I know you think humans are like Pixies… we aren't, we can't mate with just any male. My body won't… adjust like a pixie's would and it would cause some tearing internally." Suezo's eye got huge, he hadn't expected that. Genki pulled out the anatomy book he had and brought it over for Suezo to look at. He opened it to the correct page and showed it to him, Suezo seemed to look it over and read through it a moment. Holly hadn't even seen the book so she was unsure of it's contents, but she trusted Genki. She could see by his frown that he understood now. He could see how upset Holly was, she wasn't looking at him at the moment but her posture spoke volumes. He had known her for so long he could read her like an open book.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Suezo asked softly, he was confused as why Holly couldn't talk about it. Holly sighed, she seemed to be unsure of what to say.

"I was too embarrassed… sex isn't an easy topic for me. Explaining the physical side would be much harder especially since I know you have never seen any anatomy books until now. I'm still not sure I could fully explain it on my own, I asked Genki for help because of that."

"I know you have a hard time with it… but why is sex such an issue for you? It wasn't when you first unlocked me." Genki looked mildly interested now, *_ must have been before her 'punishment'_ * he thought as he waited to see if she would tell him. Holly sighed closing her eyes,

"Suezo do you remember Laura?"

"The wench that abused her daughter? Yeah I remember her why?" He seemed very unsure of where this was going. Holly sighed heavily, she seemed to debate on how to talk to him about this.

"Laura caught me… masturbating as a teen. She told me I was a whore and I was… punished for doing such an act. It was just before she and her husband left the village." She refused to look at him, "Ever since then I've had problems talking about sex." Genki walked to her side to gentle rubbed her back, he could tell she was holding back tears. Suezo also saw this, but he felt rage building inside him over what that woman had done. Genki could see his anger and knew what was about to happen, he decided to just let it play out rather then calm the eye stalk down.

"THAT FUCKING BITCH! HOW DARE SHE HURT YOU LIKE THAT!" he went off into a tirade after that outburst over how he was so glad she died in Mu's attack and that her daughter escaped. Genki could tell it would be awhile before he calmed back down. Genki moved in front of Holly to get her to look at him. He could see her pain, he gently pulled her into an embrace, just holding her. Holly gave in and sobbed into his chest.

* _Holly you should have told someone what happened years ago… I know you were scared but still. I'm betting that woman abused her based __on the way she acts__. __That woman__ did it to her own daughter for Kami's sake, I don't see her holding back with Holly. _* He gently soothed her as Suezo came down off his rant, he could see Holly was extremely upset. He felt her pain through their weakened bond, it was like a knife in his heart. He frowned,

* _What have I been doing to her?… over my jealousy… she has been hurting this whole time. Laura was abusive I'm sure. She was caught more than once abusing other children. I'm really surprised they were even allowed back into the village at all. _* Suezo let Genki help her as he waited patiently. He knew Genki could help her, though he was unsure if either of them would ever be together. * _Is this why she feared a relationship with Genki? Or was it something else? I understand what he was telling me now. He helps her even though he's in pain, because he loves her. _* After a few more minutes she calmed down again, Genki returned to his seat waiting to see what they would do now that the air had been cleared a little.

"You should have told Grandmother, you shouldn't have let her get away with that."

"I know… I was so scared back then… and ashamed. I thought I had done something wrong…" Her voice told him she was still scared.

"You didn't do anything wrong…"

"I realize that now Suezo… Granity has been helping me deal with this." His eye widened, he hadn't realized that this might be the reason she was wanting to be alone with Granity so much.

"I'm sorry for thinking you were… only wanting to be alone with Granity for physical needs." Genki could tell he was trying to be delicate but that phrasing made him cringe. * _Suezo… tact please…_ * Holly seemed OK despite the phrasing though, much to Genki's relief.

"We both have a lot of emotional baggage Suezo… we need each other at this point. It was never just about sex…I haven't been able to express myself freely in years. I always feel some sort of pressure to conform to what is expected of me. Granity is helping me deal with all that and express myself again." She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him she was bisexual. He had told everyone about her and Granity making love, the trust was no longer there for her. Suezo frowned he hadn't realized how much pressure she was under.

"You feel pressured to have a family right? Because of your age?" She nodded,

"Yes… it's not normal for a woman my age to be single still…" He looked uncertain of what to say now. He knew she was right but he had never agreed with that sentiment. Genki decided to intercede on his behalf, sensing the eyeball monster was at a loss.

"We often feel pressured by society, fighting against that can be hard especially if our family joins in with the societal norms. All we can do is find peace with ourselves and seek those who truly care about us. If the love is real then they will understand and support us even when they don't agree with us." Genki's voice was soft as he spoke, Holly looked up startled by his words. Suezo eyed the young man before asking,

"I take it you feel pressured as well?"

"My pressures are a bit different. Most in my culture don't marry until they are 26 to 28 years of age though we do date before then. However, I am pressured to stay long hours at work. Typically most Japanese men work six days a week and stay long hours. It's expected by the companies that employ us, though I have been lucky with my boss. Even when I have a family that expectation will remain the same, as a result most fathers are absent as their children grow up. My father was gone most of the time when I was growing up, he still is due to his job. There are times I'm expected to join coworkers after work at a bar or restaurant, even though I'm not paid for this it is expected by society. Being part of a job in my country is becoming part of a family and it is expected you show some loyalty to that family. It's something I have to balance against everything else I have going on. On top of that most are expected to put the needs of their immediate family above their own needs. My parents have always been extremely lenient on this but my grandparents were not. I remember many times where I was very sleep deprived due to something going on with my grandparents." Both Holly and Suezo looked shocked at this, he smiled sadly before he spoke again. "I have made it a priority of mine to not just give in to such cultural norms, but to balance them against my own needs. It's not easy and I will face ridicule for it but it's something I wanted to do; though society will see it as selfish on my part for doing so." Suezo couldn't believe what Genki had gone through, he had never imagined being pressured like that. He frowned thinking of how hard things must be for him trying to balance everything. * _How much more pressure do we put on him? I mean if he is supposed to work long hours and come over here with the time difference… he does look very tired actually._ * Suezo sighed and looked back at Holly, who seemed unsure of what to do. He could see the guilt in her eyes as well, telling him she felt bad for Genki. He glanced to Genki again,

"Is that why you disappeared for a few months all those years ago? It wasn't just your fight was it?" Genki sighed, Holly looked unsure of what to say.

"Suezo are you going to not go blabbing everything you are told anymore? Can I trust you to not tell everyone what we say to you in confidence?" His eyes met a startled monster who looked confused,

"I haven't told them anything you said to me, not even Holly."

"You told the others all about Holly's sex life." He sputtered a moment, he saw Holly looking to the floor again. He approached her gaining her attention,

"I'm sorry Holly… I let my emotions and jealously get the better of me. I shouldn't have said anything about that to them…"

"I was never intending to hurt you Suezo… I needed someone who understood me and what I was going through. Granity understands in a way you can't."

"You mean because she is female?" Holly nodded, he sighed nodding his understanding. "Can you forgive me Holly?" She looked up startled then smiled softly,

"Yes… we have a lot of healing to do though… our bond will have to be rebuilt." Genki smiled seeing the two make amends, Suezo carefully hugged her and Holly returned it gently. He let them be for a moment, they needed this after all the stress they had put each other through. After a moment he commented to them,

"You know you used to have a physical bond when we were journeying Suezo. I remember many times where you two would share touches with out a second thought. A physical bond doesn't have to be about sex after all." his voice was soft an even, both of them looked startled but soon Holly smiled.

"I suppose you are right…" she could see Suezo understood now as well, "Granity taught you that didn't she?" He nodded,

"She has taught me a lot over the past few weeks. Both about the bonds and about the pixie breed. Something I knew little about before now." Suezo sighed then spoke again,

"I'm sorry for making you out to be a pervert Genki…"

"Don't make anymore accusations then. Especially since you really don't know what's going on." Suezo nodded, Genki then sighed. "As far as your question, no it wasn't just our fight that kept me away. There were many factors to my disappearance. Our fight was just one of them." He could see Suezo was curious,

"Was your family a problem?"

"A bit yes, my grandparents always had high expectations of their grandchildren. It definitely lead to my brother's massive problems with his anxiety. He never felt that he was ever good enough, there were times I felt that as well. I had my own issues with my grandparents but I was still close to them despite our… difference in opinion."

"So you were helping your brother?"

"At the time, no. I was trying to recover myself…" Genki paused to think of how to tackle this subject manner. * _If they know about my brother it will make it easier I guess… _*

"From what?" Suezo looked confused, Genki glanced briefly to Holly who seemed unsure of what to do. Genki sighed again,

"After my fight with Holly… I had my own mental breakdown. I tried to commit suicide. Akame found me, she stopped me from doing so and gave me the outlet I needed at the time." He looked away now, he could see Suezo's jaw was hanging open, he sighed again closing his eyes. "Holly told you of my brother and sister. I didn't escape from the family issue with disorders. I have my own demons I have to fight as a result. It's not an easy thing to do alone, especially under certain circumstances. I never said anything because I didn't think you could understand. So I stayed quiet, just hoping my issues could get by unnoticed." He waited to see how the eyeball monster responded, Holly hadn't moved from her position but she could see Genki was anxious. * _He never escapes the pressure does he? Here or at home… it's always something. I need to help him…_ * Suezo took a moment to recover, he never imagined Genki of all people would try to commit suicide.

"Mocchi was right then? About you having a problem?"

"Yes, though he doesn't fully understand it. He felt it through our bond apparently." Suezo glanced to Holly now,

"You knew?" She nodded, "Then why lie about it?" he frowned.

"I never lied. I said I couldn't answer that question, not that I didn't know the answer. He told me these things in confidence, he wasn't ready to tell everyone else yet. I wasn't going to add that stress onto him and break his trust again. I have enough to make amends for as it is… if I can make amends for it." Genki sighed, he knew she felt bad but he didn't want her to feel hopeless like this.

"Holly, I told you I forgave you. Let it go. I'm not going to hold this over your head and hurt you with it. That's not who I am. Yes our trust has to be rebuilt but that doesn't mean I will not try to rebuild it with you. I don't want you to act out of guilt." He spoke softly then shook his head, his eyes connecting with hers. Suezo realized now that these two had a long road ahead if they were ever going to be together. He frowned, * _I don't see them getting through this anytime soon. They defiantly weren't sleeping together like I thought they might be. Why did I ever think Holly would do that? She avoids sex… was it only because of Granity? Why was she willing with a female though? I mean that shouldn't be easy for her either…_ * He looked to her again and decided to ask, * _She said she couldn't express herself freely… what was she suppressing? _*

"Holly?"

"Yes, Suezo?"

"I realize now that you two weren't sleeping together… I'm sorry for insinuating that." Holly nodded,

"We have too much to work through for that to be happening." He nodded then continued,

"Can I ask why you… were willing to have sex with Granity? What have you been holding back?" Holly looked torn now,

"Promise me you won't tell the others…" He nodded,

"I promise, it'll stay between us." Holly sighed, her eyes connected with Genki's for a moment. His eyes telling her to trust him, to make the jump to start healing. She gained confidence from him then looked back to Suezo.

"I'm… Bisexual… I have always felt attracted to other women to some degree. It's something I've had to suppress… here that is forbidden. You saw how the others reacted to Akame and her girl. My father has made it clear that his stance is that it's immoral and that's it. I can't be myself… even when I want to be." She closed her eyes, her hands tightly clenched in her lap. "I know that someday I have to settled down and have a family… I do want children and I can't do that with another woman. That doesn't change how I feel though… Right now I'm working through things with Granity. Not everything is about sex, we don't always make love even if we do cuddle a lot. She understands that I feel… trapped. I'm still not sure ultimately what will happen but I don't want to feel trapped anymore." Suezo was shocked once more, this was the last thing he was expecting from her. While he processed this Genki moved to Holly's side once more. He gently held her, soothing her without words. He knew this was a very hard thing for her to admit to anyone, let alone someone she was having trust issues with. Genki firmly believed Suezo wouldn't betray her anymore, that everything had stemmed from that misunderstanding of their bond. When Suezo recovered a bit his frown deepened, * _She has been hiding this her whole life… believing we would all leave her because of how she feels? _* he shook his head, * _No wonder she won't talk to __us __about anything sensitive… we all act like being bisexual or homosexual is a plague. Especially Yosho who has literally called her immoral. Would he still say that if he knew though? Hard to say with him…_* he glanced to Genki now, his gaze softened seeing how he consoled her, she was terrified he could see it. And yet the young man was doing very well at keeping her from freaking out. * _We hurt both of them… Genki couldn't trust us with his problems… Holly couldn't trust us with hers. And then they hurt each other as well… thank phoenix Granity could give them some relief._ * Suezo spoke gently to her now,

"Holly… I'm sorry you felt so alone and sacred. I should have been there for you, not been so selfish. You shouldn't feel ashamed because of how you feel. If you are bisexual that is fine with me, I don't want you to hurt yourself just because some idiots here can't accept that." Holly looked startled, she hadn't expected he would be OK with it. He could see tears in her eyes, after a moment she jumped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He caught her with his tongue and held her as she cried. Genki stood back letting Suezo comfort her, he smiled seeing his acceptance. * _I told her before… love doesn't demand change. It accepts us as we are and encourages us to improve ourselves. I'm glad he accepted her so easily. The other monsters will probably follow suit… her father is the real problem._ * He mentally groaned, * _why are humans always the problem? Seriously… ingrained nonsense… _* It took several minutes before the pair separated.

"Suezo it means so much to me that you are alright with this. I thought you would be against it…"

"Holly the last thing I want is for you to feel trapped. Especially after everything you have gone through." He smiled, "I'm sorry for interfering so much with your dating life… I won't bother you anymore. Date who you want, dance with who you want; it's not my decision to make."

"Thank you Suezo!" he received another tight hug and a kiss on the forehead. The eyeball monster blushed looking shy. Genki rolled his eyes, * _this from the monster wanting to bang her…_ * Once he was certain they had patched things up he moved to grab his bag, he hissed slightly catching Holly's attention. Genki looked to see his bandage oozing, Holly came to check his arm as Suezo watched. "Genki… this is really bad…" He sighed and nodded,

"I have some salve left. Let's get back to the house so I can clean this again. It's definitely infected…" He nodded again,

"Before we go, Holly I want you to do something for Suezo." Both looked confuse and curious. "I want you to promise to not take his porn away anymore. He needs something to give him release. He doesn't interfere with your sex life, you don't interfere with his." Both looked very surprised at the request but after a moment Holly smiled and nodded her understanding. She glanced to Suezo,

"I promise to leave your stuff alone… I just don't want to see it OK?" Suezo nodded,

"I can agree to that." He glanced to Genki, "Thank you." Genki nodded,

"Just a little advice Suezo, porn doesn't replace a real person. Find someone to date yourself. Don't rely on that porn if you don't have to." He picked up his bag and walked to the door, "Keep the book, you may have need of it sometime. It has a lot of information in it." He opened it and walked out, Holly followed close behind as Suezo looked on confused. He picked up the anatomy book and began to hop after them both.

* * *

Back at the house Holly usher Genki into the kitchen, she spotted Granity and caught her attention.

"Can you heat up some water? I need to work on Genki's arm again…" Granity looked worried now but nodded. She began heating some up for use and Holly disappeared to get some bandages. Tiger spoke first,

"You OK kid?"

"My wound seems to be oozing again… she's worried about it." They all could see his bandage was soaked through.

"She has every right to be." Granity spoke bringing the water to the table. "It wasn't oozing this bad before."

"Have you ever heard of the phrase 'it'll get worse before it gets better'?"

"I have." she nodded,

"I think this is one of those cases. Oozing can mean many things, it is a bi-product of my body trying to cleanse the wound and heal it. Yes it could mean an infection or it could mean there is dead flesh it is trying to eliminate." Holly walked back in about the time he answered them,

"If there is dead flesh it needs to be removed…"

"Probably, though on a wound like this it wouldn't be easy to do so… with conventional means. I will talk to my doctor and see what he thinks." Yosho took a seat at the end of the table as Holly moved a chair to where Genki was. She slowly unwrapped the wound, this time it wasn't stuck at least. Those who hadn't seen his wound before were caught off guard by it's size and how it looked. Holly took her time cleansing the wound this time, Genki gritted his teeth as he dealt with the pain. Granity knew he was in extreme pain, she could feel it. Mocchi seemed to sense it as well, he was looking very worried. Yosho watched as Holly carefully dealt with the young man's wound. * _This must be why she is always wanting to visit. She is worried about his arm… I never thought it was this bad. That is a nasty burn he received and it's going to take her time to cleanse it properly. I hope his doctor can help him._ * After Holly had thoroughly cleansed his wound she gently dried it. While Genki recovered Holly grabbed the salve from her bag and brought it over. She sighed, she knew this would hurt him. Granity had moved over by him now, taking his hand she nodded to Holly who returned the nod. As she applied the salve Genki let loose a strangled yelp of pain followed by a hiss. His grip on Granity tightened, though he tired not to hurt her. She gently rubbed his shoulder with her other hand hoping to provide some comfort. After Holly had wrapped his wound it took Genki several minutes to recover when he did he looked exhausted.

"You alright?" Granity asked,

"Yeah… just give me a minute." Mocchi come over and placed a hand on his leg. Genki looked down seeing his monster looking very worried. "I'll be alright Mocchi." Mocchi hopped into his lap and he held him close with one arm, letting the young monster cuddle with him. Mocchi often cuddled with him as a form of comfort, and it was comfortable for both of them. Yosho could see the exhausting in him, * _Perhaps I should wait. He is already exhausted… I hadn't realized how bad his wound truly was until now._ * Holly made Genki some tea with honey in it, she touched his shoulder gently. He glanced her way as she sat the cup down.

"Drink some of this, it should help you recover." He smiled and nodded, Mocchi shifted so Genki could drink his tea but remained in his lap. Though he hated sweet tea he accepted it for the time being, he knew he needed something. After a few more minutes Hare decided to start some conversation,

"So… did things go alright with Suezo?" Suezo had gone upstairs after seeing Genki's wound, he felt bad for the young man and realized now that Holly would be making frequent jumps until that wound was healed. Holly glanced to the rabbit monster and nodded,

"Yes… we worked through a lot of things. He shouldn't be causing anymore issues. Though we do have a lot of… healing to do at this point." Hare nodded, he seemed happy with that news,

"Thank Phoenix. I thought I might have to electrocute him if he insulted us one more time." Granity commented with a smirk, Genki chuckled at her comment.

"I doubt he will apologize to you directly Granity, he is scared of you, but he did apologize to both of us. I believe he now understands that most of his comments were unfounded and that he was misunderstanding things. He was extremely jealous, that's why he was lashing out." Genki's voice was soft and even as he rested against his chair.

"Why was he jealous?" Tiger asked, tilting his head in confusion. Holly sighed,

"He was jealous because my bond with you and Granity is much stronger then my bond with him right now. I think he forgot that the bond is about trust."

"Seriously?" Tiger sounded annoyed now, he snorted when Holly nodded yes. Granity rolled her eyes looking just as annoyed. Yosho had noticed that his daughter seemed more relaxed now, even if he could see that she had been crying.

"Hey Genki?"

"Yes Hare?"

"Are you still willing to… date Holly?" Holly literally face palmed as Genki looked over at him with a raised brow, "What?" Genki could see the others wanted to know as well.

"Hare it's not as simple as that. If you asking if I still love her, then yes. That has never changed despite everything that has happened. We have a lot that we need to work through before we can even consider dating at this point."

"You mean so you can trust her again?" Hare continued to probe,

"Not just that Hare, yes the trust is a big issue but we also need to assess if we can make the double world thing work. We will both have to come to an agreement on that."

"It can't be that bad…"

"Hare remember the drivers license I told you about?"

"Yeah what of it?"

"All citizens have a card for identification in my country, it is required by law. Though it doesn't have to be a drivers license specifically."

"You can get one for her right?" Genki sighed,

"It's doable yes, through immigration. Though that will get tricky since my world is completely unaware of your worlds existence. I know a few people who can help me with that but it will still be a complicated mess." He wasn't going to go into the fact that it would never be 'legal' as it were. They would have to lie to make it happen.

"They are that anal about tracking people?" Tiger bluntly asked,

"Yes, especially on the immigration side. I told you before they keep track of everyone, partial for tax purposes." He could see the wolf monster mulling that over, "It's not impossible, its just difficult due to government nonsense. Believe me the government doesn't know how to do 'simple', it's like that word doesn't exist in their vocabulary." He chuckled, both Holly and Granity looked unsure of what to make of that. Granity smiled, * _Well he said it wasn't impossible… they will have to fight for it I guess. _* She could see Holly wanted to ask more questions but didn't want to do it with the others around. Genki could see it as well, * _I will tell her everything later… once we start talking things over._ * Yosho could tell the young man was exhausted, he decided to speak to him now and ask if he was still up for a talk.

"Genki, I can see you are tired. We can postpone our conversation if needed." Genki glanced his way,

"I can manage a quick conversation." Holy took his empty cup and refilled it for him. He smiled to her gently understanding as he waited for her father response.

"As long as you are sure, I don't want to over tax you."

"I'm sure." He drank his tea and Yosho motioned or him to follow him. Genki nodded, gently he placed Mocchi in Holly's lap. He was worried still, "I'll be alright Mocchi. I'll be back soon OK?" the young monster nodded and Genki followed the older man outside to speak in private.

"Wonder what Yosho wants to talk to him about?" Hare pondered,

"If I had to guess, probably the whole sexual behavior stuff Suezo was spouting off about. He probably wants to know what was really going on with that." Granity commented as she took a cup of tea from Holly. Holly sighed,

"It could be that… though he said he wouldn't interrogate him."

"True but he might ask about it." Tiger commented, "Still I hope his doctor can do something about that wound of his." Holly nodded,

"I will make sure he doesn't forget to see his doctor. I know he gets really busy." Granity nodded,

"He does… he works really long hours sometimes. Though his boss might notice too and bug him if it keeps oozing that way."

"So what have you learned of his world?" Hare probed now intrigued, Granity chuckled and took a seat at the table. She would leave out anything she didn't fully understand but explain what she could. Holly too settled in to listen as she spoke of the world away from their own.

_AAN: OK kinda an awkward ending there but I needed to stop somewhere… this was nearly 40 pages. More Holly/Genki scenes next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this one. _


	8. Amends

_AAN: More Holly/Genki interactions this chapter. Hopefully, I can get a good solid resolution started for them going this chapter so we can move on with things. Hope you all enjoyed that 39 page monster last time._

* * *

**Amends**

The two men walked for a little bit in silence as they made their way out of ear shot. Genki knew this was probably about Suezo's nonsense but he had never been able to figure the older man out completely either. After they arrived near an old tree Yosho turned to him,

"I'm sure you are wondering what this is about."

"I was assuming it had something to do with the accusations Suezo was throwing around." Yosho chuckled as Genki waited for his response,

"Partially, I never believed most of what he was spouting actually. It seemed far-fetched that both Holly and Granity were making visits just to have sex with you. Especially considering how reserved both women are most of the time. Besides, it was obvious that he was being vindictive in his rantings."

"I had heard how bad he got from Holly… I never imagined he would… try to hurt her that way. Especially since he knew I was working on a resolution for them both. Honestly, his accusations made it much harder for everyone involved. Holly does not trust him… and it will take a while for them to rebuild their bond even now. I just hope he learned his lesson." Yosho studied the young man a moment,

"All that over jealousy? Something tells me there was more to it than that." Genki gave the man a look that said, 'what are you really asking'. He sighed,

"Suezo… misunderstood Holly's bond with Granity. I get the impression he doesn't understand women very well, or females in general. Which would explain a lot with him actually." he chuckled and so did Yosho, "He was indeed jealous though. Holly has a very deep bond with Granity, the two understand each other and are able to comfort each other in a way that he couldn't understand. Although primarily, Holly is help Granity with some emotional wounds, it's certainly not one sided from what I can tell." he could see Yosho mulling that over for a moment.

"So, part of her visits are to spend time alone with Granity then?"

"Yes, I told them they could do so if needed. Suezo was constantly interrupting them before, which wasn't helping either of them."

"So was Suezo right about them being intimate?" Genki was mildly surprised at the question,

"I take it Suezo was accusing them of such?" Yosho nodded, "I would say that depends on your definition of intimate. Were they helping each other and having a heart to heart? Yes, they were definitely emotionally intimate in that regard."

"What about physically?" Yosho probed further, his appearance very stern now. Genki's eyebrow rose at this as he chose his words carefully.

"Most people are physical when they comfort another person. Whether that be from soothing touches or an embrace. If you are asking if they had sex, then I cannot answer that. I don't have a habit of interfering or spying when people are talking in private. I have not witnessed anything myself, if Suezo claims he did then the real question is what did he see? He often misinterprets things. Hell, he thought Hare and Tiger were gay because they fight like a married couple. I would warn against taking anything he says at face value." Yosho mulled this over, he could see Genki's point about Suezo being an unreliable source of information. Genki for his part was thinking of what to do now that the topic was open. * _Should I probe him back? Worth a try I guess…_ * "Even if he saw something, he shouldn't have been spinning tales. They are working on healing wounds; he should have stayed out of it regardless of what they might have been doing." Genki could see he caught the older man off guard. Yosho's startled gaze found his, the two stared at each other for a moment before the older man responded.

"Are you saying you wouldn't care if they were…actually having sex?" Genki knew Yosho was starting to get riled up again, he hoped he could bring understanding so that Holly wouldn't have to deal with this. It was a gamble though; the older man had a lot of issues with new things concerning sex and marriage.

"That's exactly what I am say. That is between them, I trust both of them to make the best decisions concerning themselves. If they are comfortable doing that or it helps them in some way, then I don't see an issue as long as they both agree to it."

"You'd be ok with them being perverted!? With them doing something unnatural and forbidden?!" Yosho exploded, Genki didn't flinch back like the others though. He eyed the older man,

"I don't consider choosing to be intimate with another person to be perverted. Were you being perverted when you had sex with your wife? Being intimate is not unnatural or forbidden in anyway." His challenge left Yosho sputtering for cohesive response.

"That's… That was different! We were married. They are both women! It is unnatural!" Yosho's hurried explanation reminded Genki of Thomas, with an internal chuckled he countered back.

"There is no difference Yosho. Consenting adults are free to be intimate with whomever they choose. Being intimate is not the same as being perverted." He kept his voice even and firm showing he would not budge on this topic. * _I am really beginning to wonder if he has ever had anyone challenge him like this._ * Yosho looked furious but he seemed unsure of what to do about the younger man, he could see Genki's resolve.

"It is different it's out of wedlock!" Genki raised a brow and shook his head,

"Wedlock has nothing to do with it. At one time, the concept of marriage didn't exist and we took mates even then. People created society, society created government, and government created rules and restrictions such as marriage. These things are not set in stone, they can and do change over time as people and the society they make up changes." He paused a moment, "To my knowledge from when I traveled around this world, I never once encountered any societal normal about sex before marriage being taboo, nor have I seen anything that would indicate that homosexuality is forbidden. If it exists, it's on a smaller local scale."

"Just because the big cities are corrupt and perverted doesn't mean this village is." Genki studied him for a moment,

"I do not believe you speak for the entire village. You personally have a problem with sex before marriage and homosexuality yes, but that doesn't mean everyone does. What two people do alone is none of your concern." Genki paused before adding, "are you saying you would disown your daughter if she did make a choice you don't agree with?" Yosho was completely caught off guard, he growled before closing his eyes. Genki waited to see his response, giving the older man the time to come up with one.

"No, I wouldn't disown her…" His voice was soft, he seemed almost sad like he was grieving. His tone confused Genki, but he decided to end the awkward conversation here with his next response.

"Suezo already put her through a lot, do you really want to hurt her more by bringing this up? Does it even matter at this point?" Yosho seemed to calm down, he looked towards the younger man once more. His eyes still holding some anger,

"I suppose not at this point… especially considering the source of said accusations." He relented, they were quiet for a few minutes before he spoke once more, "So… from what you were saying before my daughter was under a lot of stress then?"

"Yes, she definitely was."

"Is that why you wanted to deal with him before you both spoke about possibly being together?" Genki chuckled,

"Partially yes, her stress was pretty high, and she tends to be… emotional when under such stress. But I also had a lot on my mind the past week. With our project done I had to present it to the clients and meet with them about a possible future contract. It's something rather stressful for me as well. I just figured it would be best to wait so we could both approach this without those added stresses." The older man nodded his understanding, he could understand that logic. Not much would get done if they were both stressed out.

"Well I'm glad you solved the issue between them. They were becoming very disruptive… You may be right about him not understanding women very well. They do seem to bond in ways we guys just can't understand." Genki nodded,

"It's my hope that now that this is settled down, Holly and I can work on things together. Granity has been… assisting us both with talking again."

"I heard she chose you as her second trainer." Genki nodded,

"She did yes, our bond is almost complete now. She has some things that are extremely hard for her still… it's my hope that we can work through those issues slowly. Both Holly and I want to see her heal from what she endured before she met us." Yosho again nodded, he sighed a frown appearing on his face.

"I don't remember much as Mu, but I do know she was abused and enslaved by her former… trainer, if you can call him that. So, I imagine that there as some things she does need a man for. She defiantly hated being touched before, but she seems relaxed around you now." Genki looked a bit surprised, he snorted and gave the man a smirk.

"I had always wondered about what you did and didn't have a memory of." Yosho smiled slightly as Genki gave him a nod. "Yes, your assumption is correct. Granity is learning to trust being around a guy physically again. Before it was just an instinctual response for her to push others away. I won't be saying any more than that on that subject." Yosho could see he wasn't going to budge on this topic, making him wonder if he would say anything about other topics. It took Yosho a moment before he asked his next question, he was still trying to get a read on Genki. The young man was proving to be a challenge.

"As far as you and Holly are concerned, do you think that you can actually manage living essentially dual lives?" Genki nodded,

"We can if she is willing to put in the effort. It won't be easy but is can be done. Though we still have a long road ahead before that can happen."

"About your world, can she immigrate? You said we are an unknown world." Genki turned his gaze towards the lake, he could see an undine enjoying herself as she swam through the water. He thought carefully on how to convey what he did have as knowledge.

"That is a complicated task, I can get her though the immigration process. However, there are some pretty big hoops to jump through. One of the biggest things is that Holly will have to agree to pick a country of origin within my world, she will have to stick to that story throughout the process. I know she hates lying, but it is the only choice if this is to work. It won't be entirely legal, but I have some friends that can make it look legal as far as the government is concerned. As long as it looks good on paper and we get it in the system without them detecting it; the government won't know the difference." Yosho looked shocked, he never would have imagined something that elaborate or that it would be technically illegal.

"Isn't that a big risk?! I mean if they find out that you forged documents…" Yosho was getting loud again, Genki cut him off before he could get anymore rile up.

"It is a very big risk, yes. Hence why I said we would have a long road before we can consider anything more. If Holly isn't willing to do that then we will know the answer. The only other option would be for me to live a double life and for us to only marry here. That would make things complicated with my family but if I explain things to them… and prove to them I'm not lying… it's workable." Genki sighed, he knew the risks and was always planning on telling Holly this. When he was younger, he hadn't been aware of everything, but now he understood that she might have been right all along. "Years ago, when we had our fight… I hadn't been aware of all this complex nonsense with the government. I guess I was a bit naïve, thinking things would work out easily for us. However, if she had asked me back then and I realized all this mess would happen. I would have left my own world for good to be with her." Genki waited to see what her father thought of everything now that he knew what would have to happen. Yosho visibly calmed down as he asked,

"You have too many obligations now to just uproot, don't you?"

"Now, yes. I no longer have the option of just up and leaving my world. I'm not as young or stupid as I once was. I know there is a good chance of this not working at all." He turned back to see Yosho staring at him, he seemed to be trying to figure the younger man out. "At this point the only thing I am seeking with Holly is healing. We both need to heal from what happened years ago. As much as I love her, we both need to agree on this fully. Whatever option we choose we will both have to abide by it if we are going to be together. Don't worry, I will explain everything to her beforehand. She will have all the information she needs to make an informed decision." * _I hope this will be enough for him… _*

"I appreciate you telling me the truth. I never imagined things would be this difficult… or be illegal in your world…I understand now why you are being so careful." He matched Genki's gaze,

"I would never lie about something like this. I have no intention of hurting your daughter." He could see the older man nod his understanding. Yosho hesitated a moment before he asked,

"About Holly… you wouldn't happen to know why she refuses to come to me with problems would you? She seems very reluctant lately to talk to me about anything." Genki raised a brow as he glanced over at the older man. * _Was this what he really was after? I need to be careful…_ *

"I know that she has more than one reason for why she does most things. That has been true ever since I have known her, I don't see that changing now. However, she hasn't mentioned anything directly to me about you. All I could do is speculate as to why she won't' talk to you about certain topics." Yosho noticed how guarded he was, * _Is he protecting her or unsure of my probing? It's hard to say. I think he knows more then he's letting on._ *

"Then what in your opinion would be her reasoning?" Genki studied him a moment before sighing.

"It's hard to say for sure but my opinion is that she is too afraid to talk to you about some things. I don't know much about what she was taught growing up, but I know she dislikes being… judged harshly for things she feels strongly about." He could tell Yosho was listening, "Considering how you just let loose on me when I brought up a controversial topic, I can see why she wouldn't bother talking to you about such things. Unless she wants the added stress of being yelled at, she would probably avoid such topics around you. It's not like you're constructive in your criticism, you know." Yosho seemed to think this over, finally he sighed heavily.

"So, she thinks I'm too judgmental is that it? That I snap too easily?"

"Perhaps, that is just my opinion of the situation. You would have to ask her to know for sure. What I do know is that having your approval means a lot to her… that much has been true ever since we freed you. It would stand to reason that she would be… hesitant to bring up some topics if she thought you'd disapprove." Yosho looked like he was a bit surprised by what he was hearing, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of what Genki was telling him.

"Genki… I understand that when she first freed me, she was desperate for my approval… I must say I didn't think that was still the case." Genki seemed to think over how to respond,

"It's just my speculation, but I think essentially losing both her parents at a young age and then losing her whole village did some damage. She is… overcompensating as a result of that. I'm not even certain if she realizes that she is compensating for it at this point." Yosho seemed unsure of what to make of that, "I have had experience with this before, my cousin has… issues like this. My cousin… well took a destructive path as a result of her issues. I don't believe Holly is on that extreme of a level, but there still could be an issue for her that needs addressing. I will see what I can do as we work through things, I don't know any of this for certain. She is certainly a lot stronger mentally and emotionally than my cousin."

"So… her childhood left scars?"

"Scars that never really healed, I believe so yes. It's been left unaddressed this whole time." Genki sighed, "If I'm honest, I don't believe it was ever the portal she feared."

"What do you mean?"

"Years ago… I think it was the fact that she didn't know if she could get back home for certain that she feared, not the portal itself."

"You mean because of me?"

"Yes, she had only gotten you back… what 4 years before that? I think it was that interfering." As her father thought this over, he felt a deep sense of guilt. *_ I never should have left her… I never realized what that could do to her…_ *

"Do you believe she… can heal from this?" Genki nodded,

"Yes, but she is going to need to address it. She essentially has mild PTSD from losing those she cared about most. Hers can be dealt with but only if she is willing to work through it."

"PTSD?"

"It stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, it's of type of anxiety actually. Unlike my brothers this one should go away if she addresses the root cause of it. With my brother it's a chemical imbalance in his brain causing the issue. With her it was a traumatic event that left a scar, physically she is fine so she can recover. Psychological events like this can be dealt with over time, though a faint scar may remain the major reactions will fade." Yosho seemed concerned, he hadn't realized how much he had hurt his own daughter.

"What would need to be done to help her?" Genki could see he was ready to do whatever it took.

* _That's a good sign, it means he might be able to accept her if she tells him what she is holding back._ *

"First, she needs to acknowledge the problem, you can't fix it if you won't admit that it exists in the first place. Next, she's going to need to work through those feelings with someone she trusts. Once she is ready then you can assist her as well. You both need to sit down and work through those unresolved issues and feelings from years ago. One of the key things you are going to need to do is to learn to not be so judgmental in your responses. Judging her for how she feels will cause more harm and push her away from you. I will tell you now, more than likely some of the things you end up discussing will be at the very least uncomfortable for both of you, if not painful. If it's not worked through by both of you, she will never fully recover." Genki sighed, he gave the older man a look that said, 'I shouldn't say this but'. "I can tell you she mentioned an incident that happened in the village as she grew up… it's a very painful… thing that happened to her. I do not believe you were there at the time and Holly didn't feel she could tell anyone about it back when it happened. I will try to get her to talk to you about it… but it might be difficult if she thinks you'll be… disappointed in her over it. You need to reassure her that she can talk to you about anything, that you won't turn on her just because you don't like what you hear. Make sure you keep your anger in check, if she fears speaking to you then she won't do it." Genki could see a change in the older man's eyes, he saw both guilt and remorse. * _I hope he will change… I have seen what his words do to her… even when he doesn't realize he is hurting her._ * Yosho was silent just thinking things over for a bit, Genki allowed him the time to think. He knew this wasn't going to be easy for either of them, he laughed inwardly realizing he was yet again helping others before addressing his own issues. * _It's such a bad habit of mine… but this will cause problems later for us._ * Yosho sighed and looked back to the young man before him,

* _He does know more but won't say it because she lacks trust in me. I understand now. Perhaps he's right… I'm too harsh in my old age. Holding everyone to such high standards when I myself abandoned my daughter… I'm such a hypocrite. I'm glad he and I had this talk…_ *

"Genki… thank you for being honest with me. I never realized… that I was hurting her or just how much my leaving years ago hurt her." He closed his eyes, "If you can help her… please do so. I won't interfere… I know you won't take advantage of her. I promise to try to reassure her and to be less judgmental." Genki nodded, he placed a hand on the older man's shoulder making Yosho glance over at him.

"I will do everything I can to help." he paused, "I would like to ask something that might seem a bit odd."

"Go ahead." Yosho looked curious now,

"I'd like to know what is usually taught to young women when they come of age?"

"You mean about sex? Or about becoming a woman?" The confused older man asked,

"Both." Yosho gave him a look of suspicion, then sighed.

"I wasn't there for it but usually they are told about their cycle, what it means, what changes will happen to them, and just the bare basics of sex. Generally, this is done by the girl's mother or another woman. I assume Holly received her knowledge from the elderly lady who acted as her grandmother." Genki nodded his understanding,

"So, it's fairly generic then, just an overview of things? Nothing about anatomy, contraceptives, or safe practices?" Genki probed to get a broader understanding.

"No just a brief overview… though some women may discuss contraceptives it's usually closer to marriage age… nothing else… though I have to ask why you wanted to know."

"Some… issues came up over that. Particularly with Suezo… who assumed humans and pixies were alike. I ended up teaching her and Suezo a bit about human anatomy to resolve things."

"So, he was being a pervert again?" Yosho quirked a brow giving the young man a look of suspicion,

"Unfortunately, yes. He wanted a physical relationship with Holly… more physical then she was willing to allow." The older man just shook his head.

"It figures… he just can't seem to behave. He is always pushing her buttons lately… even chasing off potential suitors." He sighed exasperatedly, then glanced back over Genki, "Can I ask what you were taught?"

"About puberty?"

"Yeah."

"I was taught both sides, male and female in school. It is a class called sexual education. Classes cover everything from anatomy, to the mechanics and psychology of sex, pregnancy and its stages, diseases can be transmitted through sexual acts, as well as contraceptives and safe practices. It takes years to get through all the classes." The older man looked startled,

"I must say I'm not sure what to think of that…" Genki just chuckled, "Your parents didn't teach you?"

"Oh, they taught me some stuff. I had most of my questions answered by my mother, as my father was gone a lot when I was young, but he would go over things with me when he was home." He seemed to mull this over before asking,

"Genki… Holly mentioned what happened to your brother… about his disorders, what he went through recently, and that he was gay."

"I figured she might have after we spoke earlier. What about it?"

"What do your parents think of your brother being gay? Holly claims its normal in your world… but I'd like to hear from you about it." Genki was taken aback a little by the question but soon responded to it.

"Being gay isn't really a big deal in my world, though I wouldn't call it normal. Normal to me would mean that it happens as much or more often than being straight. It's still a minority of people that feel that way so it's not normal per say but it's not an issue either. My parents already suspected he was gay; so, it wasn't a huge surprise. They agree with me that love has no boundaries. If that's how he feels then its best that he is true to himself. Pretending to be something you are not can be unbelievably bad for one's health long term, especially mental health." Genki could see Yosho wasn't sure what to make of that response though he was encouraged by the older man discussing this without getting upset.

"What about the moral ethics of it?"

"My morals are not another's morals. One of the things I learned from studying history is that morals are not something set in stone, they are created by society at large and will change as society changes. Social changes can be good or bad, but the point is that pushing one's beliefs on another is almost never a good thing. There have only been a handful of cases where it proved fruitful to do so."

"What about it being unnatural?"

"Yes, perhaps being gay is unnatural as far as reproduction goes, however animals practice it as well. I have seen many times a male mounting another male and humping them. Usually this is done for assertion of dominance, but it still does happen. Besides if nature has anything to do with it then you don't have to worry about them reproducing now do you?" Genki could see his words hit home, "I will tell you this, nature doesn't determine everything when it comes to humans. If it did then our society would be set up a lot different." He smiled to the older man, "Holly told you about Akame right?"

"That she is with another woman, yes." Yosho frowned trying to follow Genki's train of thought.

"Akame is bisexual, she was dating me before she was with her new partner. She swings both ways as it were."

"Swings both ways?"

"She is attracted to both genders."

"You mean sexually attracted?"

"It's more than just sexual for her, but yes she does feel sexual attraction as well." Genki chuckled, "I know it may be hard for you to understand but for her the attraction to other women is more… emotional than sexual. Even with how emotionally aware I am, she couldn't find what she needed with me. With Mai, her partner, she can. They complement each other extremely well actually. I was surprised at how well they clicked when I first met Mai." Yosho seemed to need a moment before he responded again,

"Can they marry?"

"They legally can yes if they choose to. Akame is a bit… slow about such things. I believe it will be a bit yet before she decides to make it official in that sense." He waited to see the older man's response, though surprised that it was legal Yosho seemed to be really thinking things over.

"Holly seemed to speak highly of Akame when we spoke earlier. Though she was avoiding the topic of her being in such relationship."

"They both seemed to enjoy their chat, even if Akame managed to embarrass her a bit." He chuckled,

"Embarrass her how?"

"Akame… doesn't always filter what she says. So, when Holly tried probing her for information about me, she got more then she bargained for." Genki chuckled, "Akame apparently bragged a little about my prowess in the bedroom. It's not the first time she has done that. I'm used to it but for Holly… well she turned into a tomato."

"So, you two were… intimate out of wedlock?" Yosho snapped, looking both shocked and concerned at this revelation. He hasn't expected this from Genki, he had thought the boy to be relatively wholesome until now.

"Yes, though in my country that's normal. Very few wait till marriage. Sex isn't something that's shamed with us, it's just another natural act. People are encouraged to do things safely if they are going to engage in such acts." He shrugged, "I will be honest, Akame wasn't my only partner, however I do have my standards and rules about that. I won't engage in sex unless I see them as an actual partner that I could marry, and I'm emotionally invested in them. Akame and I were together 3 years, and we certainly didn't start out that intimate." the older man calmed himself then asked,

"Why did you two separate?" his confusion evident.

"Akame could see I wasn't truly happy… she was aware of Holly actually. She was the only one I told about this world who believed me. She has stated many times that she thinks Holly is my soul mate and that I should fight to be with her. It wasn't one sided, I knew that she too was unhappy with how things were going on some level, that I was burden for her. I had noticed her attraction to Mai even before we separated. I was the one who suggested they date, actually. We have remained close friends, but I stepped back and let her find happiness." he closed his eyes, "She wasn't wrong… I never did get over Holly… for some reason I couldn't let her go emotionally… even if I could mentally and physically." The older man could see this was painful for Genki, he hadn't realized how close the pair had been at one time. Shaking himself mentally he decided to extend a comforting hand. Gently he gripped the younger man's shoulder, hoping to bring a little comfort to him. Genki smiled, "Thanks" Yosho nodded, then spoke once more.

"For me… hearing all this is… shocking. I never imagined you would be… doing anything out of wedlock. As you said, your county is different, and I can't judge you based on my own." He paused a moment, "I would, however, like to know if you have any children as a result of your intimacy." Genki shook his head,

"No, I have always been exceedingly careful about that. Both my partners were also very careful as well, as neither of them wanted to become a mother right then." Yosho seemed relieved making Genki chuckle, "If I had a child, I would have married whoever it was with, regardless of my feelings. I would not punish that child for my mistake." He could see the older man understood him, Yosho looked towards the lake then back to him after a moment.

"Genki… you said you were a burden for Akame… what did you mean?" Genki hesitated a moment,

"She felt an obligation to remain with me." he paused thinking of how to talk about this, he could see an intense interest emanating from the older man. He wasn't sure about revealing this to Holly's father this soon. * _I hope my words truly go through to him earlier… otherwise this will turn into a mess. _* "Akame saved my life actually… I wouldn't be here now if not for her." Genki glanced towards the lake again, "I… haven't felt up to discussing this with the others yet. I didn't think any of you could understand actually considering how different this world is." He sighed heavily, "I didn't escape my families… issue with disorders. Like my brother I have depression and after my fight with Holly… well I gave up on life." he paused once more, "Akame found me; stopped me from taking my own life. She pulled me out of my depression. She knew of my issues and did her best to help me with them, trying the help me heal. But it was a heavy burden for her, and I never wanted her to feel such an obligation. That's why I was more than willing to let her go so she could enjoy life and not feel shackled to someone." the pair were silent for a moment, Genki chanced a glance towards Holly's father. Yosho looked unsure of what to make of this but there was empathy in his eyes. * _perhaps he took what I said to heart. _* It took Yosho a moment before he responded,

"It's hard for me to believe that you… almost lost to the pain you felt. Especially since you've hidden these issues so well from all of us…" he frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to comprehend what he had just been told. * _How was he hiding this for so long… and why?_ *

"I'm sure it seems unreal to hear of this now… I… have always felt uncertain of talking about these problems with you all. Especially after the way I saw you react to Rick. I felt like… I'd lose everyone I care about if I said anything, so I kept everything inside and tried my best to keep it under wraps." He saw Yosho's gaze change, there was sorrow and guilt there alongside the empathy.

"Do you have anxiety as well, like your brother?"

"Yes, though mine has a much higher threshold before I have an attack. I have a third issue that pops up occasionally as well. I have ways of dealing with them, and medication for when I can't." Yosho met his gaze before asking,

"Does my daughter know?"

"Yes, Holly is very much aware of all three of my disorders. I spoke to her recently about them… I gave her a book to explain what I could not. It was my hope to bring understanding to this foreign concept before we went any further in our discussions." He could see that Yosho had a suspicion confirmed, "In fact, she got to witness an anxiety attack last weekend. Granity is also aware of my problems and she showed Holly how to help me. I could only offer minor instruction; my mind doesn't work well during an attack. I passed out on them after Granity gave me my medicine. Holly tried using her empathic ability to help me and got overwhelmed."

"Holly mentioned her ability… though not by that name. Did she pass out?" Genki nodded, "Stubborn as her mother." He shook his head, Genki smiled hearing him mention Holly's mother. "Will you be telling the others?"

"In time yes, I need to relax for a bit though. Honestly… I think Holly and I need to talk through things before I tell them. Part of how I deal with my stress is to pace things out and handle them one at a time. Having Holly's support while I deal with the others would certainly help me. For that to work… We will have to rebuild some of the trust that we lost." Genki sighed, "I still feel that wound she gave me emotionally, it never healed correctly. When she connected to me, I could sense she was also in pain. We both need to heal; only then can we hope to rebuild things and move on." Yosho nodded, he understood what the young man was saying. Holly had avoided the topic like the plague leaving their fight unresolved. It had left scars on them both, something they would need to slowly find healing from.

"From what you have told me… you need time alone with her to deal with this. I will trust that you two know what you are doing, and I will trust my daughter to make decisions for herself. I only ask that if you two… ever become intimate out of wedlock that you continue to be careful about things." Genki nodded,

"I highly doubt we will be intimate anytime soon. Neither of us are ready for anything like that. But I will be extra careful if we are, she won't get pregnant out of wedlock I assure you." Yosho nodded, he then turned back towards the house.

"Let's head back… you look exhausted." Genki smiled and nodded following him back to the house. As they walked Yosho spoke softly, "Don't worry your secret is safe with me… I won't tell the others about your issues." Genki looked over at the older man in gratitude,

"I appreciate that."

* * *

As they walked in, they heard Hare exclaim "No way!" making Genki wonder what was going on. He found himself the center of attention what he walked into the kitchen, Yosho was rather confused by what was going on as well but decided to get himself some tea rather then ask. He was used to their antics by now and wanted no part of it.

"Do I want to know why I am being stared at?"

"So, is it true that your city has buildings that reach the clouds?" Hare probed,

"Yes, it's true. They are called skyscrapers; they do sometimes touch the lower clouds in the sky. It depends on the day." Holly made note of his appearance,

"You look exhausted…"

"I am…" He could see the others were worried as well.

"Let's get you home, you need some rest." Granity rose and walked over to him, she placed a hand on his forehead. "you feel a bit warm…" she frowned; she was beginning to worry about him.

"I'll be fine, don't worry." He glanced to the others, "I'll see you guys later OK?" They all nodded,

"Genki needs to get some rest." Golem spoke, his concern etched into his expression.

"I'll walk you back Kid."

"Thanks Tiger." Genki grabbed his messenger bag and headed out with Tiger and Granity in tow. They both walked at a relaxed pace, Tiger leading the way while Granity was at his side. * _he really doesn't look good… _* Genki looked slightly pale, his exhaustion very apparent as they walked. What she couldn't see was that he was in pain again, his medication having worn off. Genki for his part just wanted to get home and go to sleep, that was his only goal. Once they entered the shrine, Granity activated the portal. She jumped through to help him on the other side, before he jumped though Genki spoke to Tiger.

"If you and Colt want to visit tomorrow night you both can. There is something I want to discuss with you both." Tiger tilted his head in confusion but then nodded.

"I'll have Holly tell you in the morning if we are going to visit." Genki nodded, then jumped through, leaving Tiger to wonder what that was about.

When Genki popped through he managed to land without injury, though Granity had to help him to his feet.

"Come on, I'll help you upstairs. You need rest and perhaps some medication as well."

"My temperature fluctuates when I'm sleep deprived, let me rest. I'll be fine when I wake up." She sighed at his stubbornness as they walked upstairs to his room. He shed his outer clothing quickly and got into bed. Granity noted that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. * _He was really sleep deprived and exhausted. It didn't help that the salve Holly made was so painful for him. His ointment doesn't do that… I hope we didn't cause problems by using that salve. I mean… we haven't ever used it on a burn that large before. _* She made her way downstairs to let Holly know he was alright before she took a nap herself.

"Hey Holly?" She spoke into the receiver.

"Yes?"

"He's fine, he fell asleep as soon as he laid down. I'll make sure he gets plenty of rest."

"Thanks for letting me know… I'll be over at my normal time."

"Alright, have a good night."

"You as well." Granity turned off the device after snorting to herself. * _more like a good day over here… still I need some rest too. _* she made her way back upstairs and slipped into bed with Genki, who didn't even notice her.

* * *

When Genki woke sometime later he felt Granity snuggled up against him. A smiled crept onto his face as he let the feeling of being with her wash over him. He had been alone for so long that having someone at his side made him feel both wanted and loved again. *_ Looks like I slept most of the day… Holly should be over in a few hours. At least I feel better now, I really just needed some rest after dealing with everything today._ * Genki shifted to hold Granity close, he relaxed letting himself enjoy this small bit of intimacy. Soon his mind wandered to Holly, he knew they needed to talk. * _This… will likely be my hardest discussion. I should try to talk to her a little soon, even if we wait till my week off for anything… in depth. I know she wants to stay over again; she won't ask as she doesn't want to push me. I should just offer it to her, we will need the time alone with both of us rested anyway. These opposing schedules are really an issue._ * he snorted, * _Yeah that will be a major issue if we do the duel lives… why is everything also so complex in my life? Not a single thing can ever be easy I swear… It is like the Kami hate me or something… especially since the time difference seems to be getting worse… I don't believe it was like this when I was younger._ * He felt his partner stirring, his hand moved to caress her side gently after she stretched. He put his internal musings aside to focus on his companion. Granity smiled to him before leaning up to give him a gentle kiss. She rested her forehead against his after they parted.

"You seem to be feeling better."

"I am, I just needed some rest."

"So, how'd things go with Suezo?" she probed gently as her hand moved to his chest.

"I think we have it solved… Suezo was being very annoying as usually but after we got the anatomy thing settled, he seemed to understand. He also understands Holly much better now… She told him about the woman that abused her. Apparently, she was well known for abusing children, Suezo was livid that Holly had been hurt that way."

"I'm sure, he's always been very protective of her. Realizing she was hurt like that… I can imagine he was upset. So, he understands her wishes then?"

"Yes, he understands now. He apologized to us. Holly surprised me though, she confessed to him that she was bisexual. I wasn't sure she would do it actually." Granity looked completely shocked,

"How'd that go?"

"Very well actually. He accepted her without a fuss."

"I must say I'm surprised…"

"I was as well, but when Holly shot me a look before she confessed; I urged her to try. I could see he no longer wished to hurt her. He had seen the damage he had done already, and hearing that she was holding back her pain… well he wasn't likely to reject her."

"How'd you know he wouldn't though?"

"Intuition I guess." he shrugged, "I can't explain it… I just knew he was ready to accept her." Granity was silent for a moment,

"Is this the same intuition that told you that I was good deep down?"

"Yes. I can't explain everything I feel… I sometimes just… well know things without a real reason."

"Perhaps it's your ability?"

"It's possible..."

"So, what did Yosho want?"

"Many things, he was probing a bit about you and Holly. He was also after information about me and my world. I kept things vague concerning you, I did end up telling him that I believe Holly doesn't like the fact that he is so judgmental. He probed about some of the accusations, which I countered the best I could. I didn't tell him much more than that, though we did discuss a… suspicion I have about why Holly was so afraid of the portal. I got the impression he wasn't happy to learn that I had not be celibate all these years." Granity seemed intrigued,

"I imagine he wasn't happy; he is a big part of why Holly feels she has to be a prude about things. Honestly, she is tired of… suppressing herself at this point. She doesn't want to feel shame anymore." Genki nodded,

"I wondered when she would get to that point. I think I got through to him that he needs to be less judgmental if he wants her to discuss her problems with him."

"You think he will listen?" She raised a brow, Genki chuckled slightly at this.

"I think he will yes… I believe I got him to realize that his … harsh attitude is causing both of them problems."

"We can only hope… she really doesn't trust him right now…"

"Did something happen that I'm unaware of?"

"Yeah… it was a several months ago… Suezo… well was being Suezo… looking through his porn magazines. Mocchi saw them and of course had a slew of new questions. Holly found out and took the magazines; I'm assuming she burned them though I never did ask her what she did with them. Anyway, Mocchi asked a bunch of questions and Holly wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. She ended up looking at the magazines to figure out what he saw and what he was asking about. Her father saw her, yelled at her for being a pervert before she could explain. They had a big argument before he found out that she was trying to figure out what Mocchi saw. He never apologized he just stormed off after yelling at Suezo." Granity sighed after recounting her tale. "Mocchi is still a little confused I think…"

"I imagine he is…" Genki seemed to be thinking this over. * _So my guess was right._ _That would explain why she won't bring up anything controversial around him._ * "Granity… has he shared… well extremely opinionated views on sex or marriage in the past?"

"Yes… all the time… I'm surprised he didn't berate you for having sex out of wedlock."

"He didn't… perhaps because of our prior conversation…" He glanced to her, "Has Holly said anything about distrusting him or being afraid of speaking to him?"

"A few times yes. She doesn't want to lose him… she really wants to make him proud. Though she is tired of lying… she is very afraid he will turn his back on her if she talks to him about such things." She looked confused, "What prior conversation did you have with him?" Genki smiled,

"He asked my opinion on why Holly won't talk to him. I didn't just give him my opinion on that though, I brought up a theory of mine on why Holly feared jumping through the portal so much at the time of our fight. I believe he realized that he needed to stop being so overbearing after I spoke to him about that. I also challenged his beliefs a bit, he seemed to back down after he realized he couldn't intimidate me like he does Holly."

"What theory?" She was curious now; she hadn't realized he had been looking into things with Holly so closely. He sighed,

"I believe Holly has a mild form of PTSD…. Losing both parents when she was young and then her entire village may have caused some damage. That's why even now she is clinging to her father to some degree… Yosho seemed confused by her… need for his approval until I stated my theory. However, as I made it clear to him, I will to you as well; this is just a guess on my part from what I have seen. I won't know if it's really the case until I speak with her more about it." Granity seemed to be thinking things over after he revealed this to her. He let her, his hand resuming its gentle caress of her side. She shifted to lay her head on his shoulder, her hand moving down to his stomach, just gently caressing there.

"You may be right… the signs are there now that I think about it…"

"Keep this between us until I confirm it. I only told her father because I could see he needed a shove. To see that he was hurting his daughter in his own way."

"I understand… so you will be trying to help her work through this as you both deal with things concerning your fight?"

"That was my plan yes." She was silent for a moment before looking up at him.

"Can we talk about your fight?" Her voice was soft and gentle, she knew this would not be easy for him.

"I can try… what did you want to know?"

"Did Holly give you any warning that day or before that something was wrong?" He sighed,

"No… not that I can recall. If there were signs, they were too faint for me to pick up at the time. I had no idea that she was struggling so much with her fear."

"Did she ever mention being afraid of the portal?"

"Yeah… we had discussed that before. She was afraid it wouldn't work for her like it did for me, that she would end up in the wrong location or not be able to come back home. I did what I could to help alleviate those fears, it didn't seem to work though." Granity could hear that he was anxious, his heart rate had picked up the moment she had asked. She carefully massaged his abdomen, waiting for him to relax a little before asking her next question.

"Was the portal what started your fight that day?" Genki seemed to think over this question,

"It wasn't the only thing we discussed that caused the fight, but it was a factor. We had discussed many things that day. Most of the discussion centered around the dual lives we would need to live." He paused a moment before he found his words again, "Holly seemed afraid of… well starting a relationship that might go nowhere. I tried my best to get her to understand that it could work, I would do anything it took to make things work for us. It wasn't enough though, she… was too terrified to try. I could see the fear in her eyes that day, far greater than I would have ever thought it would be. I asked if there was anything I could do to help her, it was then that she lashed out. I realize now that it was her fear that drove this, but it hurt a lot at the time. She told me there was nothing I could do. That she wouldn't date me, wouldn't start something we didn't know we could finish. That it would be unfeasible to even think of pursuing it, we would never get it to work. She told me love was not enough to make it work... that she could never be with me." His voice dropped off, but she heard him anyway. She could hear the heartache and anxiety in his voice, she nuzzled into him hoping to provide some comfort. "Honestly, the look in her eyes was what got me to stop. I have never seen her like that before or since… So, I accepted her decision. She made me promise to never bring it up again, practically begged me. I relented… I couldn't bear to put her through anything else." he closed his eyes trying to calm himself, Granity waited while he tried to relax, she had seen how much he was struggling to talk about this. When he seemed to be in control of himself once more, she asked her next question.

"How did you feel when she told you all this?" It took him a moment to respond, she felt his hand come to rest on her side as he dealt with his anxiety and pain. Trying to put what he had felt that day into words proved challenging to say the least.

"Like a red-hot knife had been stabbed into my heart. I felt… betrayed and used… The pain was overwhelming…" He took a few deep breaths before he spoke once more, "When she begged me not to talk about it again... it felt like everything I had been working towards with her had gone up in smoke… like none of it had ever mattered. Like my love never meant anything…. I did as she asked… not because I wanted to but because I had no choice." As he spoke his voice cracked letting her hear his real pain, what he couldn't hold back any longer. "All I could feel was that mind-numbing pain. By the time I got home… I couldn't stop myself from breaking down. At the time, my parents and brother weren't home… I was alone. I tried to call someone… anyone to help me… I didn't receive a response back. I know now that I wasn't thinking clearly… that I was blinded by my pain." Granity shifted now, pulling him to her. * _Genki… you had no one… This falls on all of us… not just Holly. We all bear responsibility for your pain, for not __**asking**__ what was going on. _* She kissed his forehead, her actions helped him continue. With a look of shame, he continued his story, "It was that night that I… gave up… I couldn't deal with the pain and hopelessness I felt… not alone. Apparently Akame realized something was wrong because of the tone of my messages to her that night. She later told me she had a really bad feeling when I didn't respond to her message, she had sent it after I had… made my rather stupid decision. It's a good thing she had a key to my house and raced over that night. She found me before I bled out." Genki shifted slightly to remove his smart watch, after which he let Granity see his wrist. She hadn't noticed the marks until now, she carefully ran her fingers over them as she considered how to word her response.

"Genki… I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me the most… that you felt so much pain and hopelessness and had no one to help you." She saw his eyes widen at her response; he quietly watched her as she touched his scars. "I'm thankful that Akame found you before it was too late. That she could help you when you had no one else." He wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to assure her it wasn't her fault, he wanted to take the blame entirely but deep down he knew the truth. They had let him down when he needed them the most. They hadn't asked what happened… they had taken Holly's side without knowing what was wrong. Granity smiled gently and kissed his scars earning her a soft gasp of surprise. She then shifted to kiss him gently, letting him feel the love she held for him. Genki slowly returned the kiss wanting to feel what she was openly giving him. When they parted, she spoke softly, "I know you are still in pain and you likely still harbor feelings of betrayal. It's only natural after all you have been through to feel that way. It is my hope that you no longer feel alone or that things are hopeless." She rested her cheek against his and waited for him to decide what his next words were. She wasn't blind, she had seen the shame in his eyes as he spoke of his suicide attempt. * _Perhaps that's why he never tried again… he felt too much shame from the first time. _* For his part Genki was trying to deal with the emotions this conversation had dredged up. It took him a few minutes before he spoke again,

"Granity… I don't blame you or the others for what I went through. I could have said something… could have alerted at least one of you that something was wrong… I didn't. That fault lies with me alone. Yes… I do feel some betrayal, but those feelings have faded over the years. The only thing you or the others ever did wrong was not ask what was going on… I can't bear a grudge over that." He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before continuing. "I no longer feel the same hopelessness I once did, though the loneliness persisted until recently. You have helped me greatly by being here for me now. I'm very thankful for the companionship and love you have given me." He felt her smile,

"I'm glad I have helped you and that you feel better." She waited a moment before speaking again, "Do you think you can talk to Holly about this?"

"I can only try… I honestly don't know how that will go. I know she will listen now… that she has been pushing her fear back, especially now that she portal jumps so much. Honestly… I realize now that there were two fears at play that day… her fear of the portal… and the fear of loss. She was afraid to start that relationship, to be vulnerable like that because she couldn't deal with losing it all if something didn't work out. It took me years to understand that… to understand why she had suddenly freaked out on me. It makes sense now that I have knowledge on things like this. I should have seen it years ago, that she had emotional scars that needed tending to. I guess I was blind back then… and Holly wasn't going to tell me herself, assuming she realizes they are there at all."

"I don't think she realizes that she has such… deep scars from what happened. She only realizes that she was hurt." She pulled back to look at him, she could see he was struggling with his emotions. "Holly told me that she blocked out the memory of her sexual abuse… she didn't recall it until after she spoke to me about being called a whore. I think she hasn't worked through everything herself, to remember it all…"

"She probably hasn't… considering her past… I could see her blocking out such abuse. I figured that woman had abused her after she and Suezo spoke. She needs to talk to someone about it… she has to work through it, or it will continue to affect her." He opened his eyes to give Granity a look telling her what he was thinking.

"She barely managed to whisper it to me…"

"Granity… I know it will be hard, but you are the only one that can understand her on this. I can only relate so much… I may have experienced rape in my visions but that is still different than it happening to me. You know what she went through… she needs to come to terms with it. Talking to me would be rougher on her then if you speak to her about it." She met his gaze, holding it for a moment before sighing and nodding.

"I suppose you are right…"

"While you work with her on that I will try to resolve things with her. Once we… get a resolution started I will try to get her to open up about her fear of loss. I won't discuss her abuse with her unless she brings it up on her own. I want her to feel comfortable."

"If you two marry it will come up…"

"Perhaps, but it's my hope that by the time that happens, if it happens, that she can talk about it freely with me." Granity was silent for a bit, he let her think things over as he tried to relax. After a few minutes she spoke softly to him,

"Would you mind if I ask a question about your depression?"

"No, go ahead."

"Have you…been overwhelmed by it since you tried to kill yourself that first time?" She could tell she caught him off guard, he shook his head.

"No… I haven't since then… though I do still have suicidal thoughts from time to time, I haven't tried to go through with it again. Those thoughts only happen when I'm… vastly overwhelmed and alone." Her gaze softened, her hand coming up to his cheek, thumb caressing him.

"I'm glad you have been able to fight them off…" Her words were barely a whisper, but he heard them. She leaned in and kissed him gently, his hand moved to hold her there. This kiss remained gentle, showing him exactly how she felt, something he gratefully accepted. When they parted the pair relaxed together, Granity rested her head on his chest, her hand on his stomach. She knew he would need a little bit before they went downstairs. *_ He's been through so much… I only hope Holly understands that she must be careful with his heart. _* The pair cuddled for a while until Genki felt like moving, he glanced to the clock then smiled.

"Let's head downstairs and get some dinner… Holly will be over in about an hour." She nodded, reluctantly getting up so he could.

* * *

When Holly arrived the house smelled wonderful, the aroma of their dinner still lingering in the air. Genki had made some beef ramen that night, Granity had enjoyed it immensely and showered him with compliments making him chuckle. Holly noticed that Genki looked a lot better than the prior night, apparently some sleep had been exactly what he needed. She took a seat at the table with Granity as he served some tea for them.

"You look a lot better than you did last night." Holly smiled to him, he returned her smile and nodded.

"I feel a lot better now that I've rested. I hope your night was uneventful after I left." She sipped her tea before nodding.

"It was, thank you again for helping get Suezo under control."

"It was my pleasure." Granity chuckled catching their attention,

"So, I take it he is ok with our relationship now Holly?" Holly smiled,

"Yes… he seems to understand it now. I don't think he will be fussing anymore. Thanks for teaching Genki so much about the bonds, it really came in handy while dealing with him."

"Oh?"

"Suezo wanted a physical relationship with her as you know. I pointed out to him that at one time they did have a physical relationship, it just wasn't sexual in nature." Granity nodded her understanding,

"I'm glad to have been helpful then." Holly glanced over at Genki now,

"What did my father want last night?" He noted she looked a bit anxious,

"Many things actually. He asked a bit more about my world, about the immigration process and what not. He also attempted to probe me a bit about both you and Granity."

"He was worried about Suezo's accusations?"

"Sort of, he wasn't worried about you having sex with me, he found that to be farfetched considering how we are right now. However, he was probing heavily about those accusations about you and Granity being intimate. I kept things as vague as I could without tipping him off that I was avoiding his questions." He saw her look to her tea now,

"Was he upset?" Genki nodded,

"Yes, though he was unsure of what to make of my responses. I did throw a bunch of doubt on it by pointing out that Suezo is an unreliable source of information. I also challenged his beliefs a bit, he was very angry with me but eventually backed down when he realized I would not budge."

"He can get pretty irate when he's angry…"

"I don't fear him Holly. He knows that now, he tried to intimidate me and failed." He snorted, "I faced Mu for Kami's sake, he's a joke in comparison to that." Granity chuckled at his comment making Holly smile slightly. Genki made a good point, he was just a man now. * _At least father can't bully him…_ *

"So, he respects you?" Genki nodded, "What else was he asking about?"

"He wanted to know why you wouldn't talk to him about anything. I told him I could only give him my opinion, that I did not have a real answer for that." Holly sighed and glanced back to him,

"Did he ask your opinion?" He nodded, "What did you tell him?"

"That from my perspective that he is too judgmental. If he wants you to discuss things with him, then he needs to listen and be constructive in his responses." He saw her close her eyes as she thought things over, she sighed then looked back over at him.

"Well you're not far off on my reasons… I was afraid he would probe you about me."

"I know you have more than one reason Holly, his attitude is only one reason I'm sure. I wasn't going to speculate any further than then obvious reason." He chuckled; she glanced his way with a raised brow.

"Anything else come up?"

"A minor discussion about our fight. He was defiantly probing about that. He also asked more about my relationships. He seemed especially interested in my reasons for breaking up with Akame." She looked slightly annoyed,

"He is always probing… he means well but…"

"His attitude needs adjusting I know. He wasn't happy to learn I have not been celibate."

"He's very much against that kind of behavior… did he berate you?"

"Nope." He smiled as she looked startled. "I think I got through to him about being judgmental." She gave him a look that told him she was very suspicious.

"He never listens to anyone…"

"Perhaps they didn't give him a good enough reason to listen." He saw her brow furrow as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "I will tell you later if you like. For now, I wanted to discuss something else." He made sure she was listening then continued, "I'm not sure if it's possible but during my week off I'd like you to stay over here. The time difference is going to make discussions hard so I figured you staying over would make things easier. I believe we will both need to be rested for what's ahead." Holly looked thoughtful a moment then nodded,

"I believe that we can arrange for that. We definitely need to be rested for this, yes. It won't go well otherwise." She paused a moment, "Will I need to bring anything?"

"Other than a change of clothes? No, I should have everything else you'll need." Granity chuckled

making him glance over at her in inquiry.

"Are you sure you have everything?" She smirked at him, Holly looked confused a moment before suddenly becoming beet red before exclaiming,

"Granity!"

"What it is a…"

"Shhhh! That's not something we should be discussing." Genki watched the exchange with confusion. * _What on earth are they talking about…. what else could she possibly need… OH! Wow I never realized that was also a touchy subject. Though I suppose it makes sense._ * He chuckled at their interaction causing the girls to glance his way once more.

"Yes, Granity I do have everything. Akame failed to pick up some of her… extra supplies awhile back. So, I do still have some around the house, just have to locate them." He shrugged, then smiled to Granity who suddenly burst out laughing.

"My you are well prepared if you have those." Holly was entirely red and thoroughly mortified by this discussion now that he was involved. He chuckled then gently touched her shoulder, rubbing it soothingly.

"Holly it's alright, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's just a natural part of life." It took a moment before Holly relaxed, she glanced over at him still red faced but curious.

"I didn't think you knew…" She trailed off, unsure of how she wanted to phrase it.

"About the monthly cycle?" He finished, she nodded. "I know about that and a lot of other things Holly. Education is a lot different here. We are taught both sides, male and female." He saw her expression change once more. She seemed confused by his statement, her embarrassment wearing off a bit as she became more curious.

"Do you know about pregnancy as well then?"

"Yes, how it happens and all its stages. Even know some of the problems that can occur and why they happen." She seemed very interested,

"I've never met a man other than a doctor who knew much about that kind of thing. Though I suppose I know very little about your education, other than that it was far more extensive then my own." He smiled gently,

"You could always ask you know. I don't mind discussing it." He saw her nod and return his smile. "Holly there is nothing you cannot ask me, alright? I understand a lot more then you think I do, and even if I don't have direct knowledge, I can usually figure things out." She nodded though she did blush slightly making him wonder what she was thinking. It took her a moment before she spoke again,

"I'm not sure how extensive your knowledge is but there have been times that I've been overwhelmed while trying to preform my duties as a midwife…" He looked intrigued,

"Overwhelmed how Holly?"

"Well… as you know the doctor doesn't stay with us. He only visits once a month unless he is summoned to the village."

"Yes, I believe you mentioned that before when one of the men had a broken leg."

"There have been times that I have had to assist with deliveries that didn't go well…"

"Were they premature or something?"

"Sometimes yes… some were in breech… not all of those ended well…" she sighed, "others… well I'm not sure what happened… but they were bad." Genki reached over and took her hand gently, hoping to sooth her.

"You want more knowledge so things might go better next time, is that it?" she nodded,

"I would like to learn more yes." She could see him thinking, he then smiled.

"I don't have a ton of direct knowledge about deliveries, for obvious reasons, though I do know some things. However, I can definitely get you some learning material."

"You know where to look then?" Granity probed now, curious about how he gathers information. Genki nodded,

"Yeah, I know how to get ahold of information like that."

"How do you get ahold of everything?" He seemed to thing over how to convey his method,

"You remember the computer you saw me using before?"

"The one you looked up the crop information on?" Holly asked,

"Yes, what I was using was a search engine. Basically, a search engine will search then entire online network archive for information related to the topic you ask it about. The online network is quite extensive and contains information for all over the world. I can usually find anything I want to know and if there is a hard copy, I can often buy it that way as well."

"I'm assume they mail it to you?" Granity inquired,

"Yes." He could see she understood to some degree. "Here let me show you how it works." He brought his phone over.

"So that can search this network too?"

"Yeah, though small it is still a computer and it can connect to the network." He smiled as the girls nodded. "I'm going to use its voice feature since the screen is so small."

"Voice feature?"

"Yes, I can talk to it and it will answer back with the correct information."

"So, it understands speech?" Holly was extremely confused and skeptical,

"Yes, though there are times that it will miss hear something. It depends on noise levels in the room and if you are speaking clearly. Proper names often give it issues as well." He smiled, "Ok Google" He saw the listening feature pop up "Where is the San Andres fault located?" He saw it go to its searching mode; the two ladies watched it as well. The screen changed to show a picture of California as it responded to the question in a woman's voice. "_Gulf of California. Here is a summary from Britannica. San Andreas Fault, major fracture of the Earth's crust in extreme western North America. The fault trends northwest ward for more than 800 miles from the northern end of the Gulf of California through western California, U.S." _After it finished, he saw Holly and Granity exchange a look of awe.

"Does it always tell you the answer?"

"If it can find one yes." Granity shook her head,

"Some of the technology you use is just amazing." He chuckled,

"Genki will it respond to me?" Holly asked, he smiled and nodded.

"Yes, just be clear when you speak to it. You heard the phrase I used to activate it?"

"Yes."

"You have to say that first, it tells it you are talking to it. It will ignore you otherwise." She nodded,

"Ok, Google." She waited for the screen to come up, "What causes a breech birth?" The screen soon changed as is began searching. Soon they heard it answer her question, _"Volume of amniotic fluid. Here is a summary from What to Expect. Too little or too much amniotic fluid can also cause a baby to be in breech position. Not having enough fluid makes it difficult for the baby to "swim" around, while having too much means she has too much space and can flip between breech and a head-down position right up to delivery."_ Holly looked thoughtful after it stated this, Genki smiled as she seemed to be considering the information. He knew that she would definitely want to learn how to use such resources in the future based on her devotion to her village.

"I'm going to assume this amniotic fluid is the water around the baby?" Granity asked him, he nodded. He saw Holly glance his way,

"Yes, it's not just water though. After we discovered that we gave it another name. There are a lot of other components to it, though it is mostly water." Holly seemed deep in thought for a bit, then spoke up.

"Genki would you be willing to teach me how to use these resources?" He nodded,

"Sure, I will still get you some reference books too though." She smiled to him,

"Thank you. This means a lot." He smiled,

"Not a problem Holly." Granity spoke up now,

"Holly did you get the rest of the list put together?" she nodded,

"Yes, I think we have everything now." She looked in her bag a moment before pulling out the list in question. Handing it over to Genki who looked it over,

"We tried to break it down into categories to make it easier for you. That's everything the village would need for the winter." He nodded,

"This looks great, easy to follow. Shouldn't take me long to find everything this way. The herbs will take the longest I believe but the rest is simple." He noticed a few unique items on the list, he didn't recognize them at first. Holly noticed his expression,

"Something confusing you?"

"Slightly, what are these for?" He showed her what he was looking at.

"Those are for births; we have two ladies due over the winter." He nodded his understanding. He made a note next to those so he wouldn't forget then put the list aside.

"I'll work on this over the next week, once I find everything, I will get it ordered. Then we'll have to figure out how to get it through the portal." He saw the ladies exchange a glance,

"Can you toss it through?" Granity asked, he seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"In theory yes… as long as it's not breakable. Though we might want a pad or something anyway just to make sure nothing gets damaged. I could construct a rudimentary cradle for some of the breakable items to absorb impact."

"Would that work though?" Granity seemed unsure if such a thing could be made.

"It should yes, I did an egg drop project in school years ago. The idea was to make a cradle to keep an egg from breaking after being dropped off a two-story building. Mine survived just fine, and this should have less impact then what a drop of that distance would have." He shrugged, as Granity raised a brow.

"I guess you would be the expert then." Holly touched his arm gaining his attention,

"Would you mind if we spoke about us for a moment? I'd like to know how you'd like to approach this and how much you can handle at once." Genki was caught off guard by her question, he closed his eyes a moment thinking over what she had asked.

"I don't mind discussing it, I knew it'd come up." He seemed to mull over his words for a moment more, "I'm still close to my edge stress wise so I can't do too much right now. However, we can lay out some plans if you like including how we are going to proceed. That shouldn't cause an issue… planning this out might help us both." Granity chuckled then stood up from her chair.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit. I have a book I want to get back to anyway." She excused herself making Holly raise a brow.

"Since when does she read this much?"

"Since coming here apparently…" He shrugged, before returning his attention to Holly. "Let's go to the living room." She nodded and they both moved to sit on the couch.

* * *

She knew he wasn't sure of things yet but the fact that he was willing to try gave her hope. * _Maybe if we can get a plan worked out and some understanding between us… next week might just go much easier for us. Still what did he mean by 'giving my father a good enough reason to listen'? I guess I will have to wait for him to explain. _* Genki surprised her by placing an arm around her shoulders, something he hadn't done in a long time. She glanced over at him, looking into his eyes to find him looking concerned.

"Holly… I know you are worried about what I said to your father. You know I would never tell him something you didn't want him to know." An eyebrow rose as he spoke,

"I wasn't aware I was that easy to read…"

"When it comes to certain topics you are." He heard her sigh,

"I know you won't tell him my secrets Genki… I just worry that he will… start probing more now that you gave him your opinion is all."

"Holly… I'm not stupid I know you are more concerned about how I got him to stop being so judgmental. Why he didn't berate me the way he would normally." She sighed then nodded,

"I am wondering about that yes…"

"I made him face that fact that his morals, his views of the world are not the end all be all. That he is not the one that speaks for everyone else. He tried pushing back on me but found that he was losing that fight since he had no concrete reason for anything he said. I even confronted him directly, asking if he would turn his back on you if he disapproved of something you did. He told me he would not, that he would never disown you or turn his back on you. I then told him that what Suezo said doesn't matter then, as it changes nothing. He seemed to let go of it after he realized that I was right. I also made it clear to him that as combative as he is, that I did not think you would ever ask him for advice. I know I certainly wouldn't want that hassle." Holly was quiet a moment, she leaned against him seeking comfort which he gave openly.

"I know you are tying to help… I'm not sure he will listen though. He might be more apt to monitor me now…"

"I don't think he will Holly… my intuition tells me he is ready to listen." She looked over at him, she knew his intuition was a strong as her own. "Trust me Holly. This will work out for the best." She sighed as she weighed things in her mind a moment. He waited to see what she would do,

"Did you two speak of something else?" She had picked up on the fact that he wasn't telling her everything yet.

"We did, we spoke about your fear of the portal and what I really think happened that day. I will be discussing it with you when you are ready to talk about it." Holly gave him a confused glance,

"What are you talking about? My fear was pretty straight forward… what else could there be to it?" He took a moment to find his words,

"Back during our fight… your fear wasn't of the portal at all. That fear was of something different, though it appeared to be of the portal at the time." Holly shook her head,

"I think I know what I am and am not afraid of Genki."

"Do you?" he gave her a quizzical look, "then answer me this, what truly drove your fear of not wanting to start a relationship that day? The portal could have been removed from the equation entirely, I even offered to do so. Yet it made no difference in your answer, which indicates that it alone was not what you feared that day." Holly's eyes widened in shock at his words, she wanted to deny it but as she thought back, she realized he was right. She distinctly remembered him offering to leave his world to be with her, removing the portal from the discussion. * _Why did I say no? I know I was afraid and being illogical back then but still… with the portal gone why did I still fear it so much? What was it that I was afraid of?_ * a deep sense of confusion and then guilt washed over her,_ * I put him through so much and my reason wasn't even clear… now I understand why he left, why he avoided me and no longer wanted to talk to me about this._ *

"I… I'm not sure what I was afraid of…" her soft voice came at length, Genki gently smiled to her. She looked over at him, confusion in her eyes.

"I have a guess based on what I have seen."

"Which is?"

"You were afraid of losing me if that relationship failed. Afraid to be vulnerable like that again." He spoke softly, he saw her close her eyes as she thought this over. He let her think as he held her, he knew it was possible he was wrong about this. Only she would know for sure, but she needed to look at it from a new perspective to really find the answer. * _I can only help her so much right now._ *

"You may be right… I was afraid of… getting hurt if our relationship were to fail. I felt so close to you back then that it frightened me… the last time I was that close to someone…"

"You lost them, didn't you?" she nodded,

"Yes…" He gave her a gentle squeeze moving to rest his head against hers,

"I understand." She let him be affectionate as she dealt with her emotions, "Are you willing to work through those feelings? If you don't tackle that fear at it's root cause you won't be able to move on."

"Yes… though… I'm not really sure how to deal with this."

"I can help you if you like."

"I would like that." She paused before asking, "Did you tell my father about this?"

"Sort of. I told him my theory which centered around what you had gone through when you were young. I basically alerted him to the fact that he had already hurt you back then and that he should stop doing so now if he ever wanted you to confide in him."

"You mean about him leaving me?"

"Him leaving, the loss of both your mother and later village. It did affect you whether you realize it or not. You have some unhealed wounds and scars from what happened, things have never been resolved between the two of you. He never told you why he left you behind did he?"

"No… he refuses to talk about it… or my mother."

"Hence the unhealed wounds." He felt her shaking slightly, he held her close as she processed everything. After a bit she calmed, "I will help you through this I promise. In return I will open back up Holly. This won't be easy for either of us, but I know we can do it." He could see she had been caught off guard.

"Genki… you don't have to force yourself to open up for me. I know you're afraid…"

"I will not let fear control me Holly. I want to resolve this; I don't like this hanging over us like this. We need to work through this together, we both need closure." She smiled softly then rested her head against his again, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers. Her actions surprised him, * _She hasn't been this openly affection with me since our fight…_ * He held her gently just relaxing with her.

"Genki will you let me connect with you?" her voice came to his ears as a whisper, he replied in kind though he was uncertain of her intentions. * _Her power is unique… I'm not sure we should rely on it too much. _*

"Yes, I will." Holly smiled before placing her other hand on his chest. He felt her form the connection, soon he felt her emotions. She showed him her love, what she had always felt for him yet never expressed. He was a bit more reserved when she connected, she felt his uncertainty, his fear of being vulnerable. Yet she also felt his resolve to push forward, his love for her helping him combat his fears. "Have you always felt this way Holly?"

"Yes… at one time I tried to change it, to make it platonic; but it has always been this strong for you." He smiled, she felt him become more forth coming with his own love for her. Though he remained guarded on his other emotions. She knew it'd be awhile before he opened up entirely to her.

"Holly… once you realized that you had made a mistake, why didn't you try to talk to me? It's obvious to me that you hurt yourself that day, you were in pain. Why didn't you say anything?" He heard her sigh and felt a shift in her emotions, he felt shame and guilt emanating from her.

"Pride I guess… that and I really didn't know how to… talk to you about it. I could see how much I hurt you after the fact. The fact that you were avoiding me and the pain in your eyes… I guess it made me feel that nothing I could say would make a difference. I know I messed up, I should have confided in you that day, let you help me. Honestly, looking back on it now… it feels surreal… like it wasn't me saying those things to you. It's something I have never felt before or since..." She tailed off as he began to think things over, * _Like it wasn't her? Strange even those having panic attacks know its panic or fear driving their actions… hmm._ *

"Holly… can you remember exactly how you felt that day?"

"Yeah… why?" her voice filled with confusion.

"Can you show it to me?" It took her a moment to respond,

"I can try… I've never done that before… I'm not sure why you are asking this…"

"I promise I will explain after we finish, please I need to feel what you felt that day." He felt her hesitation, "Trust me Holly…" He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She relented, focusing on her memory she began to project her feelings from that day into him. Genki closed his eyes to focus on what she was doing. It was then he felt it, * _Damn it… I never realized… I'm so stupid. I should have known something else was wrong that day… this explains a lot. No wonder she couldn't fight her fears that day._ * He frowned as he realized the truth. "Thank you, Holly, I understand things much better now…" Holly stopped her projection feeling very tired, she rested against him as she recovered. Exerting her will over her power was an exhausting task, though she was getting better at using it. After a few minutes she looked over at him,

"What were you looking for?" She was more than a little curious about his reasons. She had never let someone feel her emotions from a memory like that, this was far more intimate then she had been with anyone else.

"I was searching for an influence, what you said made me wonder if there was something else at play that day." He smiled gently to her,

"You found something, didn't you?" Her expression worried as she waited for his answer.

"Unfortunately, yes. In the background I could feel a dark influence. You probably wouldn't have noticed it at the time due to your fear and the minor panic attack you were having." Her eyes widened,

"Wait… Panic attack?! But I don't…" He pulled her close,

"Holly relax please. I will explain." After a moment she relaxed in his hold, once he felt this, he spoke again. "I believe the dark influence I felt was the Evil Soul of Mu, it was using your fear against you. As a result, it triggered a panic attack while we were talking. It used that to drive a wedge between us. That's why it didn't feel like you were saying those words, it wasn't you at all." He felt her tense as he spoke, for his part he just held her close, trying to sooth her with his actions. Holly couldn't believe what he had just told her, she closed her eyes and focused on that memory again. Now that she was looking for it, she too could see and feel that dark entity at work. It was incredibly subtle, making it seem like it was her fear driving her actions that day. A few tears fell from her eyes and she dealt with this revelation. A sense of both relief and violation filled her, she leaned against Genki needing to be held. Genki pulled her into an embrace, giving her the security she needed right now. * _I don't understand… why did it wait four years before attacking? How did I not sense it before… that something was wrong with me? It was trying to stop us both from ever being able to fight it. _* she shivered and grit her teeth; a soft gasp came from her as Genki kissed her forehead. * _He's not done that since… before our fight…_ *

"Holly, it's alright."

"No… I should have felt it before…"

"It was hiding Holly; it knows you would face it head on, if you knew it was there." She was silent a moment before she let a few more tears fall. Genki frowned seeing her so distraught, * _Holly don't let this eat away at you. It wasn't your fault… _*

"Genki… I feel so… violated. The thought of it being inside me… using me to hurt you. It sickens me!" Genki pulled back slightly, his hand coming to her cheek to wipe away her tears. Holly looked startled by the small act; she saw him smile softly.

"I'm sure it's upsetting to know it manipulated you. I understand, I would feel the same way." His thumb caressed her cheek softly, "Don't let this get to you though. It wants you to feel pain, to feel all those negative emotions. It feeds off them, and it's been using us both."

"Genki… it never got ahold of you…"

"True, but it wanted me out of the way. It knew of my condition I think, even before I did. It wanted me dead, so it used all of it's power to make that happen." Her eyes widened at this, "It was manipulating us both Holly, feeding off our pain and ensuring we wouldn't be able to stop it again." It took a bit before Holly could speak again; she had a lot on her mind now. Stopping her stream of thoughts, she focused on one thing, the evil soul was still around, and it wanted them gone.

"It wants revenge…" Her eyes found his, he nodded.

"Yes." He saw many emotions pass through her eyes; concern seemed to be the one that stayed the longest.

"We need to tell the others…"

"I would say we defiantly need to sit down and explain it to them, yes. I can drop by tomorrow morning to help with that." She nodded, leaning against him once more.

"I do feel better knowing that I wasn't trying to hurt you but still… the act was done by me." Her brow furrowed,

"Holly, I can't and won't blame you for that. This makes things easier for us both, I think we will be able to regain the trust we lost faster now that we know it wasn't all about your fear." She glanced to him,

"I can see that being true but aren't you still afraid."

"I am yes…" he closed his eyes, "that doesn't mean I won't push forward though." She gently took his hand again and interlaced their fingers.

"I'm just worried you will hurt yourself more by pushing things." He met her gaze before shaking his head,

"I will be fine Holly; I know what I can handle." Holly waited a few minutes before asking her question form earlier.

"How do you want to proceed then?" He took a moment to answer as he thought over what they should do. * _She's defiantly very worried about hurting me again. I will need to reassure her as we progress. I would like her to let go of her guilt, it won't be productive to hold onto it._ *

"I think the first thing we should do is discuss our fight directly. We can tackle our pain after we get our original fight resolved." Holly considered his words,

"That sounds reasonable, it's a logical start anyway." He rested his head against hers,

"Holly I want you to know, my love for you has never changed and it never will. Just know I am here for you; you don't have to hold anything back. I'm not going anywhere." Her gasped told him he'd caught her off guard,

"Genki I know you won't abandon me…"

"Do you?" his voice gentle, "We both know the truth, your fear that day was of losing me, of being abandoned again. Just like you were when you were young." He felt her tense slightly, "That's what the Evil Soul used to trigger your panic attack."

"Wouldn't… I need anxiety to have a panic attack?"

"No, anyone can have one if they a push too far mentally and emotionally." She frowned, as she thought about it, she realized his attack was different and much stronger than her own. Though it was years ago, the memory of those feelings had stayed with her. "At first, I thought you might have a mild case of PTSD, now I'm not so sure. Since Mu was involved in amplifying your fears it's hard to tell how much of it was him." She pulled back to meet his gaze, searching it after he'd said that.

"You think I have PTSD? From what?"

"You remember what the acronym stands for right?" She nodded and he continued, "I believe it's from losing your parents and village. Though perhaps some of it is from what Laura did as well. It seems to be very mild if it is there, only an extremely emotional thing would be able to trigger it, even then it would have to involve the topic in question. I could be wrong, it's just a hunch on my part. If you are willing, we can explore that and see if you indeed have it." Holly closed her eyes trying to deal with a sudden flood of emotion. Without asking she placed her hand on his chest and projected into him. What he felt cause his own heart to race. "is it the thought of having a disorder causing that?" * _This is bad…_ *

"Yes…" she was breathing hard, her hands shaking.

"Find the root Holly, what is it stemming from?" she hesitated, soon she felt him projecting back. He was trying to calm her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his head against hers once more. "Focus, track it back Holly. I know you can do this, search for the strongest feeling." Holly did as he asked, slowly working her way through the jumbled mess of emotions. It took some time, but she found it, buried under everything else was the strongest emotion.

"Genki… I think I found it…. You were right." She let him feel it, then dropped her connection. Panting she leaned against him heavily, letting him hold her close. * _So, it was the fear of loss… of being abandoned. That was not just Mu… no this is a case of PTSD._ * before he could say anything Holly whispered,

"I do have PTSD… you were right… I'm afraid to lose those I love… to be abandoned for being different or for making hard choices." Genki recognized that she had accepted that something was wrong,

"Holly, the thought that triggered that was of your father wasn't it?" she nodded, "Will you let me help you heal?" After a moment she replied,

"Yes… can I heal from this though?"

"You can yes. But you will need to work through those feelings from year ago."

"I have to talk to my father, don't I?" her voice quivered as she asked, he frowned.

"Eventually yes. It's the only way to for you to fully heal from this. For now, just working through those feelings will help. We can take this slow Holly, there's no rush. Now that we know what the problem is it will make things easier. Just relax, everything will be alright." He gave into an impulse; gently he nuzzled his head against hers. His reactions told her that he would stand by her, this in turn helped her calm down. After he was sure she was alright he pulled back to meet her gaze. He could see she was still stressed but had calmed some, he smiled to her softly as his hand came up to brush her cheek. "I think we should start on rebuilding things between us, then when you feel comfortable, we can go through things concerning your past. You don't have to push yourself; this is a lot for both of us to tackle. I will tell you when I need a break, I expect you to do that same." Her eyes searched him a moment before she smiled,

"Alright, we will plan on that… I promise to tell you if I need a break." She paused, "Genki… thank you for being here. I've really missed being able to confide in you."

"Your very welcome Holly, I missed this too." He leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers. Holly closed her eyes as she relaxed with him. * _I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me…_ * She shifted slightly, her hand moving to his face tracing his jaw and cheek. She heard him sigh under her touch, they stayed like this for a bit before she pulled back. Looking into his confused eyes she smiled. Giving into an impulse and a deep-seated need, she leaned forward and let their lips meet. Genki's eyes widened as she did so, he was frozen for a moment before he relaxed and returned the kiss. His hand moving to her jaw. The pair kissed for a few minutes, keeping things gentle and loving. When they parted Genki rested his forehead against hers once more, his thumb tracing over her cheek softly. It took him a few minutes to find the words to speak, * _I never thought she would do that… we never even kissed back before our fight. She never seemed to want it._ * "Holly… have you been holding your feelings back all this time?"

"Yes… I wasn't sure of things before. That's why we never… kissed back then." Her voice just a whisper, he shifted to gaze to her eyes again.

"You don't have hold back; I want you to express yourself. I'm not going anywhere; I would never leave you." Her eyes told him that his words meant a lot to her.

"Thank you… I promise to show you how I feel from now on." He smiled, he leaned back against the couch and coaxed her to rest in his arms. She obeyed gladly, resting her head on his shoulder as he held her.

"We will wait to tell the others about your issues until later, if you feel like telling them at all. I only plan on telling them about Mu's influence. The rest isn't something they need to know." Her felt her nod,

"What about my father?"

"We will talk to him later. For now, we need to rebuild things between us, only then can we truly help each other. Let's stick to our plan and focus on our fight, then move on to how we both felt afterwards."

"Can you talk about it Genki?"

"I managed to have a conversation with Granity this morning… though it was stressful and hard for me I still managed it. I can with you as well, though I may need your help to get through it."

"I will do everything I can Genki. You aren't alone in this… I won't run from this anymore. I want to try again, to be together with you." Genki felt his heart swell with happiness at her words,

"Then we will try again Holly. This time we will fight for our happiness."

* * *

They were silent for a while just relaxing with each other. Finally, Holly decided to converse again,

"We really should get to know each other again… it's been so long." He chuckled,

"You are right. Anything you want to talk about or know?"

"You never did tell me what other reasons you had for remaining single." He raised a brow, * _She's persistent I'll give her that. _* he remembered that conversation from a few weeks ago.

"I suppose I can answer that." He paused as the thought of how to convey his feelings on the matter. "I already told you about the looks part, but it goes beyond merely hitting on me because I look good. I have had far too many lust after me; I hate it when women throw themselves at me just for sex. I'm not interested in superficial relationships or a friend with benefits arrangement. Crass behavior like that is a huge turn off for me." He could tell she was listening by her posture, "Another reason is money. I tend to hide my wealth because there are a lot of women here only interested in money. Trying the get me to buy them things or whatever. They don't actually care about me."

"I can see both of those things being a turn off for you. You have never been vain, superficial, or greedy. All of those tend to bring the worst out in people." She spoke softly as she listened,

"My final reason is a bit more complex… I have had those that want a 'pet project' as it were… wanting to 'fix me' as they see my disorders as something that can be 'repaired'. They are often arrogant and prideful even if they appear to be sweet at first. Disorders cannot be 'repaired' or 'fixed' the way some people think they can. It's not like a hole in a wall or a broken beam that can just be repaired." Holly nodded; she took his hand as she decided her next words.

"I understand that would be upsetting for you. I admit I don't know as much as I would like to about your disorders, but I have never thought they could just be repaired. I find that thought to be both foolish and insulting. People are never a repair project under any circumstance." She paused a moment, "All of your reasons seem to be very good, and sound advice for anyone dating." She waited a moment before she spoke again, "Would you like to hear about my experiences?" He glanced over to find her looking attentive. He nodded,

"I would if you are willing to share."

"I only seriously dated a couple of guys, like you I have issues with those lusting after me for my looks. I have never liked that type of man and I refuse to be just another notch in some guys belt." She felt Genki lean into her showing his interest. "I wasn't with either of them long term. The first one… well he acted like a gentleman for a while, but he really wasn't. He was deceptive and I left him as soon as he revealed his true colors. The second one was more promising; he at least wasn't trying to deceive me. Though he did take issue with my… concern of how my father would react to him and my lack of… desire to engage in more intimate activities. Mind you I had told him upfront that I wasn't going to sleep with him until I felt we would remain together." Genki noted her phrasing there * _Hmm… so she was willing to have sex before marriage if she found someone willing to stay by her side. So, she doesn't have the same views as her father…_ *

"I take it that was a deal breaker for him?" He asked gently, she nodded in response.

"Yes, he wasn't willing to abide by those rules…"

"Then he wasn't worth your time if he couldn't respect you." His statement made her glance at him, she could see he meant those words.

"I haven't seen anyone since then… it was a hard blow to my confidence… that and I was feeling overwhelmed. Both Suezo and my father had been adding pressure during that time." She sighed heavily, "Honestly it's surprising I managed to date at all the way Suezo was at the time." Genki gently rubbed her side as he spoke,

"What was your father doing?"

"He wanted to… meet any man I might want to be with… I really don't know what he said to them, but he scared off a lot of them." Genki thought things over before he responded,

"If I had to guess he was pressuring them about their morals. If they didn't match with his… well much like me, he tried to intimidate them." His words came gently, as he knew she would be upset by this.

"I don't understand… why… why would he do that? Does he not want me to marry?" Holly closed her eyes as she spoke, unsure of how to feel.

"I don't think that's it. I can't speak for him; you would have to confront him to know for certain. I believe he was testing them, if they couldn't pass his test then he would rather you stay single. It's his way of protecting you." She thought that over before asking,

"Did you pass?" Genki chuckled,

"I have no idea if I did or not. But I wasn't going to let him stand in my way either way. It's not his choice to make even if he means well." Genki held her close, soon Holly shifted to gaze into his eyes.

"Would you have been upset if I had slept with one of those guys?" He smiled and shook his head,

"Who you sleep with is entirely up to you Holly. As long as you were doing it cause you wanted to, then I wouldn't care." He could see she felt some relief making him wonder if she had slept with some guy like he originally thought. He didn't ask though; he would let her tell him if that truly was the case.

"Thank you… I feel a lot better knowing where you stand on this." He nodded,

"Just remember that communication is the key to a good relationship. I want you to speak your mind Holly, you don't need to hold back your thoughts and feelings." She smiled and nodded her understanding. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned towards him again. His eyes widened briefly then softened, smiling he leaned in to meet her. They shared a sweet kiss for a moment before parting, Genki noticed she was blushing from the act. She turned even redder when he pulled her close, his arms around her waist.

"Genki?" she squeaked, he smiled to her gently.

"It's alright." He could feel how nervous she was, "do you need me to get Granity?" She turned crimson and hide her face now.

"No…" he kissed the side of her head, just holding her close.

"You got yourself all… hot 'n bothered, didn't you?" His whispered, she squeaked a protest before sighing.

"Yes…" He smiled, carefully he shifted his hold, using one hand to rub her upper back he whispered softly,

"Holly close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let it out slowly, let the tension in your body release at the same time." She hesitated again, trusting him soon she did as he asked. "Relax your mind, focus on your breathing. Take another slow deep breath, let the tension melt away with each exhale." Holly responded to his voice, following his instructions. "Keep your focus, just relax. Keep going with the deep breaths until you feel the tension inside you release." After he spoke those words, he let her do her exercise on her own. * _Maybe if I teach her to meditate, she can learn to control when her arousal happens to some degree. Or at least be able to deal with it when she can't release it through sexual acts._ * For his part he just kept quiet and still; his hand the only thing moving. His fingers carefully massaging her shoulder blades, shoulders, and neck; before returning to just rubbing her back soothingly. When Holly finally opened her eyes, she felt a lot better, her eyes found his as he smiled to her. She felt his hand still massaging her shoulders. The gesture very soothing for her,

"Thank you… I'm not sure exactly what you had me do there, but I feel much better."

"I had you meditate. It gave your mind and body a rest, bringing your focus back to where you want it." She looked thoughtful,

"So… that was meditation." He could see she was thinking over the process,

"It's what I use to mentally and emotionally reset. It works for me most of the time, even without going through anything deeper." Her eyes found his once more, curiosity prevalent within them.

"Can you teach me how to do a reset like you do?" he smiled and nodded,

"Yes, just remember it takes practice to release everything. It's like any other exercise, it becomes easier the more you do it."

"I understand, thank you."

"Anytime." He suddenly remembered something, "Oh, did Tiger or Colt say if they were popping over tonight?" Holly smiled,

"Yes, they both are." She could see he was happy about that,

"I was hoping they would, I had a few things to discuss with them. We can also let the know about Mu soul being a problem still." Her features grew more serious, she nodded.

"Perhaps we should discuss it with Granity now though." He nodded,

"Sure, let's go find her. Now that we know this, we are going to need help keeping watch for the Evil Soul when it shows up again. It didn't disrupt us for no reason after all." With a nod she rose and both of them went to find the reading pixie. * _I just hope it's not too late to stop its plans. It got us out of the way years ago, who knows what it's been up to since. _* Genki was very concerned but knew he wasn't the only one as he walked down the stairs heading toward the library.

_AAN: Another lengthy chapter, sorry this one was so heavy. I promise there will be more humor in the next chapter. See you there and have a great Holiday season._


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